Spectrum and Hiro: No Supervision
by cjupsher
Summary: While interning at the San Francisco branch of Haddock Industries and DunBroch corp, Hiro must face a threat to city and come to its rescue. Luckily for him, San Francisco has its own superhero who can help him out. Together, they'll show everyone they're more than just kids. They're heroes.
1. Chapter 1

**More than a kid**

A bus of high schoolers pulled up to the large Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp building in San Francisco. They filed out, many of them looking up at the towering building with many floors and numerous glass windows. They made their way inside and into the air conditioned lobby, being given visitor passes before waiting for their tour guide.

After a few minutes their tour guide appeared. And to everyone's surprise it was a teen, hardly older than any of them. He was a young man with asian features and spiky black hair. He wore a blue hoodie with shorts and red sneakers.

"Hello West Town High," he began drolly. "My name is Hiro," he said as he gestured to his laminate badge. "And I'll be your tour guide for today." With that he beckoned them out of the lobby and to some of the upper floors.

Hiro began the tour by relaying the history of Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp before their recent merger. He spoke of their individual accomplishments and contributions to the technological world before telling them a little of the future projects in the works.

The kids listened with mixed interest. Many of them simply texting or on their phones as their teachers berated them to pay attention. Hiro rolled his eyes. The whole field trip was to try and inspire the future generation of workers to pursue a career in sciences. But he doubted any of these guys were going to make any significant contribution to the world.

The tour continued and Hiro showed the class a few of the building's labs where the scientists and researchers worked diligently to develop the latest technological innovations. Of course this was the low level stuff, not very interesting by Hiro's standards. Now the stuff worked on out of sight and behind closed doors…

Game changers.

Hiro got a reprieve when lunchtime came around and he led them all to the cafeteria so they could eat. After an hour break he hesitantly continued the tour, counting down the hours until it was finally over and the teens all left.

With the tour done Hiro made his way to the elevator and rode it up to the top floor. He exited and made his way to the office of the San Francisco branch head. He knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in!" he heard from within. Hiro entered, greeted by the sight of the branch head sitting behind his desk and on the phone. He held up a finger, a silent command for Hiro to wait and be silent.

Hiro obeyed, taking a seat in front of the desk and waiting. Soon enough the man finished his call and hung up before looking to Hiro with a smile. The man was dressed in a fine black suit with a white undershirt and a black tie. He had short sandy blonde hair and a well groomed shaven face. He wore square glasses that he adjusted before finally speaking.

"Hiro Hamada. H squared. The Big H," he greeted. "What's shakin' my man? What's the word?"

Hiro struggled not to roll his eyes and cringe at his 'youthful jargon'. "Well Mr.-"

"Dave, please," the man interrupted.

"Dave," Hiro corrected. "I just want to let you know today's tour is done," he revealed.

"Muy excelente, Hiro. Major props bro," he complimented, pounding a fist over his heart and then pointing at him.

"Yeah. Anyway, I was hoping to finally get some time in the labs. I've been here in San Francisco for like a week and so far I haven't had any lab time," Hiro reminded him.

"I hear you Hiro. But I'm going to be real with you," Dave began. "I need you where you're at. There's more to a tech company than just its researchers and scientists. Public relations is also very important, reaching out to the youth and future generations of workers is what we always have to work toward."

"And I get that Dave. But-"

"And who better than someone their own age. A peer," Dave said as he gestured to Hiro, referring to his age.

"I understand. But I signed up for this internship so I could-"

Suddenly the phone on Dave's desk rang. He looked to Hiro as he placed a hand on it. "I hear you H-man. Let's put a pin in it for now and I'll check ya' later," he said. He answered the phone and waved his hand to dismiss Hiro.

Hiro suppressed a sigh as he got up and left the office. He made his way through the building and to his little office, logging onto his computer and checking the company's website. He updated certain aspects of it and then did some IT maintenance and other grunt work.

All the while he wondered how he'd ended up saddled with these menial tasks when what he really wanted was a chance to work in the labs and with the other scientists.

Hiro had come all the way from San Fransokyo, having signed up for a short internship program offered by the company to scope out some potential future employees. Hiro had jumped at the opportunity to intern for Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp, mainly hoping to get a chance to look at those Night Terrors he'd seen at the San Fransokyo Tech exhibition day.

He'd been disappointed to learn that the branch he'd been assigned to didn't focus on Nanotechnology, but he gotten over it and hoped he could at least be part of another interesting project.

But it appeared that Dave was intent on keeping him out of the labs. Saddling him with tours, IT work, website maintenance, filing, and social media research.

Not that he didn't understand the importance of this stuff, but this wasn't what he'd signed up for.

"Hiro!" came Dave's voice from the doorway. Hiro looked up to see Dave peeking his head inside. "How about running and getting me some coffee and a baguette?"

"Well-"

"Thanks kid," Dave interrupted. He winked at him in appreciation before leaving.

Hiro sat there with a frown. "I'm not just a kid."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, citizens of Corona City were in a panic. They ran for their lives as the streets were being terrorized by two individuals.

One was a person that seemed to be made entirely of a green slime. He wore black judicial robes over his body along with a monocle over his right eye. He had three patches of purple hair. Two on either side of his head and one on top of it.

Beside him was his partner. A large barrel chested man with a dirty bright orange tank top. At his waist was tool belt and atop his head was a safety cone he wore like a mask. He wore denim jeans and thick steel toed boots, but the most bizarre thing about him were his hands. Instead of fingers there were to mechanical appendages, one ending with tip of jackhammer and another two razor sharp circular saws.

The two of them were rampaging, reeking havoc and sending the frightened citizens fleeing in panic. The sludge man swung an arm around, his fist in the shape of a mallet which he used to flatten cars and pulverize the pavement.

With one mighty swing he hit the side of a car, sending it rolling down the streets and toward a group of fleeing citizens. Some citizens managed to veer and leap clear while other simply kept going in a straight line, too focused on running at full speed to look back and see the car about to flatten them.

But before it could they heard the car crash into something. The citizens stopped and turned before smiling in glee.

Standing before them and the car was the young hero of Corona, the Spectacular Spectrum. Spectrum smiled at them, an arm raised and a hand out as she singlehandedly stopped the car. It was on it's side, with her palms pressed into its metal roof.

"You guys should go," Spectrum said as she gave the car a light shove. It gave a creak before falling into its wheels. The citizens nodded, thanking her before clearing the area. Spectrum watched them flee before glancing down the street at the two people causing mayhem. She scowled before taking to the air and flying toward them.

The two villains took notice of her floating their way and paused as she landed a few meters away.

"Halt villains!" Spectrum shouted, trying to make her voice authoritative as possible while placing her hands at her hips and giving them both a glare.

"Look, it's Limelight Lite," the man with the cone on his head shouted at her with a haughty laugh.

"It's Spectrum!" she shouted back, slightly offended that he'd purposefully gotten her name wrong.

"Who gives a crap!" the man shouted back. "Beat it brat! We're here to deal with the real heroes. Not some little wannabe hero wearing a stupid scarf! Seriously, it's not even cold!" shouted the man wearing a safety cone on his head.

Spectrum felt her face heat up and go red in outrage, and ever the sharp tongued she replied with a clever retort. "Your face is stupid!" Then she made to fly at them both, to seek retribution for the insult at her scarf. But before she could someone grabbed her from behind and held her back.

"Easy tiger," Limelight said as she held her apprentice back by the scarf.

"Aye. Settle down lass," Archer said as she came up behind her partner.

Spectrum did as told, taking a breath and relaxing but not before shooting the two villains a dirty look. She greatly liked her scarf. She loved how it billowed in the wind, changed color, and added that extra bit a flare that just completed her outfit. She took great offense when someone insulted it.

"Now that the Defendants have arrived we will begin," the slime man called out. "The honorable Judge Sludge presiding. Limelight and Archer!" he shouted to grab their attention. Once he had it he straightened up, his right hand forming into a large mallet.

"You are being charged with acts of heroism, preserving the peace, over 1000 accounts of do-goodery, and finally...endangering the welfare of a child!" he told them. The heroines arched a brow as he continued. "How do you plead?"

The women exchanged a glance in confusion.

"I find you guilty!" he suddenly declared before they could respond. "And I hereby sentence you to…" he paused to raise his mallet hand up. Then he brought it down onto the street, shattering the ground with a powerful blow.

"Death!" he finished darkly.

"Destruction Worker! Destroy them!" Judge Sludge said to his comrade. The man let out a battle cry as he slammed his jackhammer hand into the ground. The street under them shook and split apart, blowing rocks and large pieces of the pavement right at them.

Archer and Limelight leapt back, the latter grabbing her sidekick and pulling her clear of the debris.

"These guys mean business," Archer said as she drew an arrow.

"Yep," Limelight said in agreement. She took her eyes off the veil of dirt to look at her apprentice. "Alright Spectrum, you know the drill," she said.

Spectrum groaned. "Oh come on. You're sidelining me again? I can take these guys. I can help out," Spectrum insisted.

"No buts Spectrum. Get the civilians clear and keep them back," Limelight ordered. Spectrum sighed before complying, flying off down the street to shoo away any would be onlooker.

Archer looked to her partner with a smirk. "Kids these days," she joked playfully. Before Limelight could respond a long green fist burst from the smoke. The heroines leapt apart as it came between them. And then just as quickly it opened up and grabbed Limelight.

The blonde's eyes widened and she let out a startled yelp as it yanked her back and away from her partner. Before Archer could do anything she heard a cry from above. She looked up to see the Destruction Worker coming down on her from the sky, tool arms above his head.

Archer scrambled back before leaping clear as he collided with the ground, creating a large indent in the street. Archer was wide eyed, noting to be wary of his strength as he charged her, saw blade hands whirring as he began swinging.

Meanwhile, Limelight was pulled away from her partner to face Judge Sludge. Regaining her wits she began to strain and flex against the slimy hand entrapping her and with some effort broke free.

She hovered off the ground and faced the green slime man, starting to gather her energies into her hands and awaiting his next move.

"In this court, I'm your Judge, Jury, and Executioner!" Judge Sludge called as he began swinging at her with his slimy extending appendages. Limelight dodged, weaving and bobbing in mid air before firing a blast at him. Her aim was dead on, hitting him in the center of his chest.

But instead of blowing him back like it would with most opponents it simply passed through him. He chuckled as he continued his assault. Limelight gained height to dodge a swing, but he just managed to grab her foot. With a growl he swung her, smashing through a building before throwing her to the ground.

Meanwhile, Archer was backpedaling, dodging her opponents deadly strikes with amazing agility. The circular saw blades passed inches from her face as she leaned back to avoid them. Then she jerked her head to the side as the Destruction Worker stabbed his jackhammer hand into the space where her head had been a moment before.

With a shout he suddenly threw himself forward, hitting her with his large pot bellied body and sending her careening away. She hit the ground on her back before rolling to the side as he jabbed his jackhammer hand into the ground. It punched through it, leaving a deep hole in the ground before he yanked it out and continued his attack.

Limelight was still being flung around like a ragdoll before she finally blasted away the slime grasping her. Now free she flew low and charged him. She barrel rolled and dodged the arms trying to smash and grab at her before she managed to get within striking distance.

Her feet hit the ground and she cocked back a fist. Then she struck, throwing it forward in a powerful punch. But her blow, while normally capable of sending even the most hardy beings flying, only ended up getting lodged within the Judge's gelatinous body. He laughed aloud before throwing his arms around her.

"Ew!" Limelight said in disgust as he began pulling her into his body. "Get the hell off of me!" she demanded before he enveloped her within himself. He laughed as she remained trapped. She struggled, but found her body heavy, his form weighing her down and restricting her movement. What's more she was without oxygen, unable to take a breath.

Archer leapt over a car as the Destruction Worker brought his saw blade arm down. She watched from the other side as he cut right through it, sparks flying everywhere as sliced it in half.

Back with Limelight she began to build up energy within her body before releasing it in a golden pulse of energy that sent bits of her opponent flying in all directions. She gasped for air before looking over her state.

"Yuck," she said as she shook some slime off her arms. She watched as the larger bits of slime on her body and ground began to wiggle like jello. Suddenly they all began to move across the ground and toward the judicial robes lying in the streets,

Soon enough Judge Sludge reformed, looking no worse for wear and smirking cockily at her.

"Ok, this obviously isn't working," Limelight muttered in annoyance. She suddenly flew up before flying toward her partner battling the Destruction Worker. "Hey Archer! Wanna switch!?"

Archer and the Destruction Worker were charging each other when she heard her partner's call. Thinking quickly she dropped low and slid between his legs. He blanched for a moment as Archer leapt to her feet and began running from his turned back.

"Sounds good!" she called out. She ran by her partner who was flying at her previous opponent while she charged her new one. The Judge got ready, fists forming into a hammer and spiked mace as she drew an arrow and fired.

The Judge smirked and let it come, the Arrow hit him in the chest and sank into him. He chuckled before the head ruptured, and then he felt a sudden chill spreading throughout his body. He looked down to see himself freezing over. It started from his chest and began spreading outward to every part of him.

"No!" he said as his limbs became ice and it began to work it's way up to his face. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted before he was frozen solid.

"Bring it blondie!" Destruction Worker shouted as Limelight flew at him. He cocked his arms back as she came within attacking distance. Then he threw them forward, trying to stab and cut her right in the face.

But to his surprise Limelight stopped both his arms. She wrapped a hand around the shaft of his jackhammer hand and the underside of his saw prosthetic. She kept the spinning saws away from her face as she bent the head of his jackhammer hand to the side. Then she squeezed, slowly crushing the saw blade prosthetic. The hand began to spark and the blades slowed down until they went still.

Limelight followed up by kicking him in the chest, sending him rolling backward. He got his feet under him, looking at his now broken prosthetics in shock before looking up to glare at Limelight. But he flinched as he was met with the sight of a gloved fist coming at his face like a comet.

Limelight swung her fist into his face with astounding force, sending him flying away from her and crashing through a few cars before coming to a rolling stop a few hundred yards down the street.

She quickly flew over to him to see she'd knocked him out cold. He released a groan, spittle leaking out of the corner of his mouth and eyes glazed over as he faded into unconsciousness.

She stood up and hummed in satisfaction, hands on hips as a news helicopter hovered overhead and caught she and her partner's battle on camera.

Meanwhile, Spectrum kept the people back. They watched from a safe distance and then began to cheer and clap for her mentor and her partner. Spectrum crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, firmly believing she could have helped.

"Not so fast!" came a loud cry that cut through the applause. Everyone turned toward it to find yet another costumed individual standing among them.

"Limelight and Archer may have defeated Judge Sludge and the Destruction Worker, but they'll be no match for the likes of me...the Jive Turkey!" shouted the dark skinned man dressed in a fluffy pink wig, a split leather vest that exposed his hairy chest, tight black leather leggings, and red platform shoes. He also wore a skirt made of brown feathers, had red gloves, and a cape that looked like feathers as well, and he smiled deviously at the crowd from under his birdlike mask, complete with a beak and star shaped eye holes.

Everyone stared blankly at him, Spectrum included. He just looked so...ridiculous!

Regardless, he claimed to be with the two other villains. So Spectrum raised a hand up, electricity crackling between her fingers as she presented her palm toward him. The man smiled as he got ready, hopping on his feet.

But before she could let loose her electricity, "Spectrum!" Came her mentor's stern voice from above. Spectrum groaned and dropped an arm as Limelight floated down to stand at her side. "You know the rules. No fighting supervillains," she reminded her.

"Oh come on. I can take the the chicken man," Spectrum said as she gestured to the ridiculously dressed villain.

"Turkey!" Jive Turkey corrected with a shout.

"Whatever!" Spectrum shouted back.

Archer walked up to them, eyeing the man incredulously. "Well now I've seen everything," she muttered as she looked him up and down.

"Ah. Archer and Limelight. Just the hens I wanted to see," he said with an eager grin.

"Did he just call us hens?" Limelight asked quietly.

"I'm here to do what my comrades couldn't, ya dig?"

"And using the powers of the mighty turkey, I will personally-"

"Is he really monologuing?" Limelight asked.

"Evil will reign supreme-"

"I think he is," Archer answered.

"You are inferior and no match for-"

"Can I shock him now," Spectrum asked, itching to raise up a hand and stop this man's blabbering.

"Now come chickies, come meet your doom at the hands of Jive-" he began. But having had enough Archer reached into her utility belt and pulled out taser, which she proceeded to aim and fire at him. The two hooks sank into his exposed chests before delivering a powerful electric current.

The man went to the ground, twitching and spasming as Archer kept her hand on the trigger. She eventually stopped, staring at him as he remained on the ground and released a pain moan.

"Man, why you gotta go and kill my groove," he said before going silent.

"I could've done that!" Spectrum shouted indignantly.

A few minutes later the criminals were being apprehended. The Destruction Worker was cuffed and chained up, his saw blade prosthetic dismantled before being loaded into an armored van. All the while though he was shouting and struggling.

"This isn't over," he called out. "The Doom Syndicate isn't done with-" he began before the van doors were slammed in his face.

Judge Sludge was sealed into an airtight metal container to ensure he'd be trapped even when he melted. Jive Turkey was given a pair of high strength manacles, in case he possessed heightened physical abilities they hadn't seen him use before being walked to a police car.

The heroines spoke with the officers while Spectrum pouted, floating off the ground with her arms crossed over her chest. Her mentor took note of this and came up to her.

"What's wrong Spectrum?" she asked in concern.

Spectrum scowled, not looking her mentor in the eye before muttering, "I could have handled the chicken man."

"Turkey!"

"Shut up!" Spectrum shouted at the villain as he was loaded into the police car. "I could have handled him," she asserted.

"I'm sure you could have. But I don't think you're quite ready to handle supervillains just yet," Limelight told her.

"Why not? I'm super strong, durable, and I take down bad guys all the time," Spectrum whined.

"The common criminal or henchman aren't quite in the same league as a supervillain," Limelight pointed out.

"But I beat that bear guy."

"Extenuating circumstances. While it's my job to teach you how to be a superhero it's also my job to keep you safe. You'll work your way up to supervillains eventually."

"But there has to be some situations where you trust me enough to handle a bad guy on my own right?" Spectrum asked.

Limelight sighed. "Fine. Yes, if lives are on the line, and I can't immediately get to the threat, then yes," she said with a nod.

Archer came up to the two of them as they were talking. She smiled proudly at them both. "Good job today ladies. Kid, good job," she told the young apprentice. Spectrum frowned at the use of the word 'kid'.

"Alright, I think it's time to get you home," Limelight said to her protege. She nodded, grabbing onto Limelight's back before they began to rise into the air.

Archer waved up at them. "Later kid," she called up.

Spectrum frowned. "I'm not just some kid."

She remained frowning as Limelight flew across the country and back to her home. When they reached the outskirts of San Francisco she stopped. Spectrum released her and hovered in the sky on her own.

"Alright Riley. Guess I'll see you later," Rapunzel said to her.

"Ok."

"And you remember what I told you?"

"Yes. No superhero duties for at least a week since you'll be out of the country," Riley said.

Rapunzel nodded. "But if you need me, call me," she told her. Riley nodded in understanding before flying off without a goodbye.

Rapunzel stared after her, she knew Riley was still sulking a bit, but how rude. She hadn't even said goodbye to her. And where was her goodbye hug?

She sighed and let out a breath, "Kids."

Riley flew high above the city before stopping to hover above her home. She held the image of her room in her mind before she vanished in a flash of purple and reappeared inside her house.

"Mom! Dad! I'm back!" Riley called out as she began to change out of her superhero outfit. She slipped into a tee and pajama pants as her mother came to the door to greet her.

"Hey Riley, back a little early tonight," her mother noted.

"Yeah. School night and Rapunzel is leaving the country early tomorrow morning," she said as she threw her costume into her closet.

"Ah. So anything exciting happen today? Fight any bad guys?" her mother asked.

Riley scowled. "No," she muttered in disdain.

"Oh," her mother said as she noted Riley's rather displeased mood. "Well dinner is ready. Come downstairs so you can eat," she said before she left.

Riley soon followed after, still miffed about her mentor treating her like a child. She was more than that. She was a superhero too. She'd helped save the world. All she wanted was a little more trust and respect.

And to not be treated like child.

* * *

 **first chapter of the Riley and Hiro team up story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Meeting**

Hiro entered his hotel room after finishing his shift at Haddock Industries and DunBroch corp. He shut the door and trudged over to his bed before flopping down on it. He groaned into the blankets as he recounted the dull and unsatisfying day. He remained where he was for a good five minutes before summoning the willpower to pick himself up and make his way over to his laptop.

He opened it and began doing his school work sent to him by his professors back in San Fransokyo. He pulled out his textbooks and started studying and doing his work. He managed to finish within an hour before leaning back with a sigh.

The silence of his room was suddenly broken by his laptop. His live messenger program was alerting him to a video chat. He sucked in a breath and then let it out before forcing a smile. He accepted the chat request and was soon met with the sight of his friends, all crowding around a computer screen and smiling at him.

"Hiro!" they all said happily in unison.

"Hey guys," Hiro said through his fake smile, trying to put as much enthusiasm in his voice as he could.

"How's it going little man?" Wasabi asked.

"Going great Wasabi," Hiro replied with a short nod.

"Work on anything exciting today Hiro?" Gogo asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. Totally. You wouldn't believe the stuff I'm helping the other researchers with. Mind blowing," Hiro lied. "Unfortunately also very top secret, can't talk about it much," he added as he saw them preparing to ask him questions about his non existent projects.

"That's cool," Gogo said with a nod of approval.

"Hey Hiro, you meet Hiccup yet?" Fred suddenly asked.

Hiro arched a brow, "Huh? Who's Hiccup?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Nevermind," Honey Lemon quickly said. "How about Mr. Haddock or Ms. DunBroch?"

"Nah. Neither of them have stopped by our branch," he said with a shrug. "But maybe I'll get lucky."

"Hopefully," Honey Lemon said as she crossed her fingers for him.

"Alright kid, well we were just calling to check up on you. Glad to see you're doing good," Wasabi said.

"Thanks Wasabi."

"We miss you Hiro," Honey Lemon said.

"Thanks Honey Lemon. I miss you guys too."

"Alright kid we're going. Don't forget to call your aunt, ok?" Gogo told him. Hiro nodded before they ended the chat.

Hiro slumped back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. He missed his friends. He missed hanging out with them and doing hero stuff. But here he had to lay low, though he did manage to bring Baymax along with him.

Hiro stared out the hotel window and over the city of San Francisco, reminded of home due to the uncanny similarities between the two cities.

Hiro let out another sigh as he leaned forward and began calling up his aunt.

* * *

The sun rose the next day and it's light filtered through the second story window of a small family home. Sleeping soundly in her bed was Riley, chest rising and falling slowly and steadily as she dreamed and enjoyed the quiet of the morning.

And then her alarm clock went off. It rang and vibrated, nearing the edge of her nightstand. Riley groaned before opening her eyes and pulling a hand out from beneath her blanket. Her eyes turned a deep blue as a small bolt of electricity shot from the tip of her index finger and at the clock, silencing it instantly.

Riley rolled onto her back and took in a breath. Then she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before stretching her arms over her head. In a purple flash she was gone. She reappeared in the kitchen downstairs where she proceeded to serve herself some cereal.

As she ate she gradually woke up, becoming more active and eating with gusto as she read the back of the cereal box with casual interest. When she was finished she took the bowl to the sink and filled it with water before she vanished again in another flash of purple.

This time she reappeared in the bathroom. She turned on the sink and began to get ready. Washing her face, brushing her teeth, and then combing her hair. When she was satisfied and checked her appearance she smiled at herself in the mirror before vanishing once more.

She reappeared in her room and went to her closet. She opened it and began to pick out an outfit to wear for school. As she did she glanced downward at the crumpled up superhero outfit. She eyed it for a moment before bending down to fold it up more neatly. Once she'd done so she tentatively tucked it in the back of the closet and then got back to picking out an outfit.

She picked out a pink T-shirt with some blue jeans and pink sneakers. She also put on a blue denim jacket with a red 'R' stitch onto the chest. She smiled down at it, having quickly come to view it as her favorite. It had been Rapunzel's originally, and the heroine had gifted it to her shortly after they'd first met. It carried very fond memories.

She suddenly began to feel bad for not giving Rapunzel a proper goodbye yesterday. She'd been slightly miffed at her, but she owed the heroine more than she could ever repay.

She turned away from the closet, promising to make amends when her mentor returned as she grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She made her way downstairs where her father was getting ready for work and her mother was helping him and getting ready for the day as well.

"Alright mom and dad, I'm heading to school," Riley said as she walked down the stairs and toward the door.

Her parents looked to her with smiled. "Alright Riley, have a good day," her mother told her.

"Bye Monkey, have a good a day," her father said.

Riley gave them both a smile as she went out the door and turned in the direction of the school. She looked up at the sky to see a clear blue sky and an overall lovely day. She took in a breath and did a little twirl.

Today was going to be a good day, she just knew it.

* * *

Today sucked.

Hiro sat at his desk in his little office and typed away at his computer screen. He was doing more website maintenance and had a stack of files on his desk he was directed to get to as soon as he was free. Once again, he wasn't going to get any time in the labs, and he had another tour to give in a few hours.

He let out a miserable groan. Today was going to suck. He just knew it.

"Hiro Hamada!" Hiro suppressed the urge to throw his hands up in lamentation as Dave came into his personal space. "What's up big guy?" Dave asked.

"Just doing some website work Dave," Hiro answered simply.

"Ah. Good man. Hard worker. I like it," Dave said with a nod. "Anyway H-man, I've been going over what you said," Dave began. Hiro paused and looked to Dave hopefully. Was he finally going to get some lab time? Work with the other scientists and researched like the other interns got to?

"And you're right. I haven't been giving you the full Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp experience. So I rearranged your schedule, no tour today," Dave revealed.

Hiro leapt out of his chair in excitement. "So I can finally get some lab time?"

"Well...not quite," Dave responded, leaving Hiro to sag in disappointment and stare at him in confusion.

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

"Lo and behold!" Dave said grandly as he gestured to the gigantic warehouse he'd led Hiro too. Hiro looked around unimpressed at was in his opinion, the biggest storage garage he'd ever seen. "Cool right?" Dave asked as he looked around with a smile.

"I guess," Hiro said blankly.

"I know right. This place is where we keep the projects that have been shelved for the time being," Dave explained. He turned to Hiro and presented him with a small tablet device. "Here you go," he said, prompting Hiro to take it. He turned it on, being shown what looked like a list of items.

"I want you to go through and check the inventory. Make sure everything on the list is here. This is a very important task," Dave told Hiro.

Hiro stared back at him. He put the tablet under his arm and took a breath. "Dave. While I can get why this is important, can't anyone else handle this? Like...anyone? I'd really like to get some lab time."

Dave smiled at Hiro and placed a hand on his shoulder and began to walk. Hiro fell into step beside him as he awaited his answer. "Hiro. I know you're looking forward to getting into the labs. But you make the most out of what you get. Why I remember when I was a little boy, about your age really, I wanted a bicycle for christmas. And you know what I got?"

"A bicycle?" Hiro asked.

"A baseball glove," Dave revealed. "But gosh darn it if I didn't make the most out of that glove. I rode it school every day. True story," Dave said.

"Wha?" Hiro asked, not quite understanding the point of the story.

"Point is Hiro I hear you, and for now we'll put a pin in it," he said. Hiro knew what that meant. End of the conversation.

Relenting he looked down to the tablet in his hand and began scrolling through the list. One name on the list caught his attention, prompting him to select it. He was met with the blueprints of a giant robot.

"Hey Dave, what is this...Omnidroid?" Hiro asked curiously.

Dave glanced down at the tablet. "Ah. Those are the blueprints of a technology we acquired a few years ago. You see there was this man, a villain really, by the name of Syndy," Dave began.

"Syndy?" Hiro asked in disbelief.

"Wait, was it Syndy? Syndome? Syndrome?" Dave muttered to himself. He waved it off and continued with his story. "Anyway, after his criminal activities and connection to terrorist organizations were exposed to the world, he went missing and no one would do business with his company. They were on the verge of total collapse until Mr. Haddock saw an opportunity and bought them out, acquiring all of their technologies and patents in the process. These Omnidroids were one of them."

"What are they?"

"Well they're robots designed for combat purposes and equipped with a learning A.I. allowing them to solve problems and such. There were several versions of them, and they were dangerous enough to kill supers," he explained. "Mr. Haddock believe they could still be of use someday so he didn't have them dismantled, just stored away at several of the company's many facilities around the world."

"Hmm. That's cool I guess," Hiro said, mildly impressed.

Suddenly Dave's phone rang. He answered it, pausing to look at Hiro. "Got to take this Hiro. You got it from here right?"

"I guess so," Hiro said with a shrug.

"Great. Good man. Knew I could count on you Hiro. I'll check up on you in a few hours. Try not to have too much fun now," Dave joked before he left.

"No need to worry about that," Hiro muttered as he left. Great, now he was a glorified retail boy.

With a sigh Hiro got to work. Luckily for him there was a small golf cart he could drive to get around the massive warehouse. So he drove around, checking off the items off the lists, finding most of it in crates but managing to correlate the numbers on the crates to the ones on the tablet.

Admittedly some of the stuff in storage was pretty interesting. He sort of wished he could crack open a few of these crates and take a look at some of this stuff. As he was going through the list he finally came upon it…

The Omnidroid. Hiro pulled up to it in his cart, eye wide in interest as he looked at the inactive machine. It was a made of a dark grey metal and primarily square in shape with a curved top. It was about 15 feet tall and perhaps 13 feet across. Hiro got off his cart and walked over to it.

It had a optic sensor on the front of it that was dim due to its inactive state. Painted on the side of was v.X2. Hiro hummed curiously before looking down at his tablet and checking it off the list. He made his way back to his cart, pausing to look back at it before taking a seat in it and driving off.

But as he was he suddenly heard a rumble, followed by a low humming noise. Hiro hit the breaks before looking back and reversing. And to his shock the optic sensor on the Omnidroid was lit, glowing a greenish blue. Hiro stared at it, wondering why it had suddenly become active when it began to move.

From its underside two legs began to extend, lifting it into the air and adding a good 6 or seven feet to its height. Additionally two thin arms began to come out from its sides, ending in two segmented and claw like fingers.

Hiro watched in bafflement as the Omnidroid came to life, too stunned to move.

Suddenly its arms shot out and toward him. Hiro yelped and ducked as its hand and fingers enclosed around the bars holding up the canopy on the cart. They squeezed, bending the bars and before it yanked its arm back and ripped them off. The cart jerked forward before Hiro sat up and threw it in reverse.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Hiro repeated in panic as he drove the cart wildly through the warehouse. He looked back to see the Omnidroid chasing him, managing an unsettling pace as it maintained a forward locomotion on it's two thin legs.

"Crap! Crap! CRAAAPPPP!" Hiro wailed as he pressed down on the pedal as hard as he could. "Stupid cart! Go faster!" he demanded. He took a sharp turn, and the Omnidroid, with its great size and weight didn't manage it as well, barreling into a stack of boxes.

Hiro glanced back but kept his foot pressed down on the pedal. He watched as the Omnidroid managed to pick itself out of the remains of the crates before it looked to him. It resumed its pursuit, but luckily for Hiro he was near the exit.

He looked to the exit up ahead, realizing it would take a moment when he reached it to open the doors, giving the robot time to catch up and crush him. He tried to think of an alternative when the large roll up steel door began to open.

A moment later Dave stepped in, "Hiro!" he called out, only to freeze up at the sight of Hiro on a cart speeding toward him with the Omnidroid lumbering right behind.

"Dave! Get out of the way!" Hiro shouted in warning. Dave tensed up as he came to his senses before turning and running away with a shout. Hiro kept going, exiting the warehouse before veering to the side right as the Omnidroid burst through, sending the steel door flying with a loud crash.

Hiro stopped to look at the Omnidroid as it scanned its surroundings. It seemed no longer interested in him however as it began stomping its way to the gate of the facility. Hiro's eyes widened, knowing the damage that thing could wreak if it got into the open with all those people.

He had to do something. But there wasn't much he could do.

Not like this anyway.

The Omnidroid smashed through the metal fencing as it made its way into the city. Already he could hear the screech of car brakes and the screams of frightened citizens.

He pressed down on the gas of the golf cart and made his way toward the exit it had just created. He made a beeline toward the hotel situated right across the street from the Haddock Industries and DunBroch corp building. He leapt out of the cart and rushed into the lobby before making to the elevator. He began to tap the up button over and over non stop until it arrived. He got inside and pressed the button for his floor.

He waited anxiously as the elevator rose up, trying not to think about the damage it could be causing and hoping no one had been severely injured or killed. As soon as his door opened on his floor he dashed to his room. He went to his closet before pulling out the small rectangular container. He activated it, quickly digging through the closet as his companion inflated.

In a few seconds there stood Baymax. The nurse and caretaker bot with a large balloon like body. Baymax blinked as he looked to Hiro.

"Good afternoon-"

"No time buddy. We got to go!" Hiro said, a gym bag slung over his shoulder as he grabbed Baymax and pulled him along. He began pulling Baymax up the stairs until they came out on the roof. He dropped the gym bag and ripped it open. He began grabbing the things inside, Baymax's armor.

He began quickly suiting the robot up before donning his own. He placed his helmet on, activating its tinted feature to conceal his face before leaping onto Baymax's back.

"Baymax, wings!" he ordered. Two wings sprang out of Baymax's back. "Let's go buddy." In the next instant Baymax took to the air. They flew over the city, Hiro directing Baymax to follow the sounds of terror and destruction before finding its source.

The Omnidroid marched through the streets undaunted. Crushing cars under it's feet, cracking the pavement with every step, and knocking over streetlight with its hulking body. Some police officers had set up a line of cars and were shooting at it with everything they had, but it continued on unfazed.

"Get in front of it Baymax!" Hiro shouted. Baymax did as told, putting on a burst of speed before coming around in front of it. "Rocket fist!" Hiro ordered. Baymax raised his right arm up and in the next instant his forearm shot away from him like a missile.

It struck the Omnidroid and made it stagger back, falling against a building. Baymax lowered himself to the ground in front of the officers. Hiro looked back at them. "You guys clear the people. I'll handle this thing," Hiro told them.

The officers stood there and stared at him, wondering who he was, and if he was truly as young as he seemed to be. But as the Omnidroid pushed off the building and righted itself they spurred into action, opting to get the people to safety.

Hiro looked over Baymax's shoulder as the Omnidroid stood up and then looked down at them. He took in a nervous breath as prepared to defend the city.

* * *

Meanwhile Riley was sitting at lunch with her friends. They talked about TV shows and other subjects of interest until Riley felt her pocket buzz. She straightened up and turned away from her friends as she pulled out her communicator. The device, which could tap into police frequencies and monitored social media began informing her of a threat.

Some kind of robot destroying the city. Her city.

Riley's eyes widened before she stood and ran off. She dropped the remains of her lunch in the trash before running inside, ignoring her friends' concerned shouts as she made straight for the bathroom. She went inside, thankful that it was empty before shutting her eyes and vanishing in a purple flash.

She reappeared high above the school, catching herself in midair with her telekinetic abilities before shooting off toward home.

She had to handle this alone. Limelight was overseas by now and who knew how much of the city would be destroyed waiting for her to show up. And the the Big Four were all on the other side of the country as well. There was no way they could get here in time.

So even though she technically wasn't supposed to do any crime fighting without her mentor she knew she had to do this by herself. She might get punished for it later, but people's lives were in danger.

And...Limelight did say she could do things on her own if she weren't there to get to the immediate threat and lives were on the line.

The door to Riley's house flew open, startling Jill as a yellow streak shot upstair with a quick, "Hi mom!"

Jill stood up from the couch as she looked up stair, hearing the rustling about Riley's room. "Riley?" she called out, only for the yellow streak to shoot back down and fly out of the house with such speed she left a powerful air current behind that kicked up magazines Jill's hair.

"Bye mom!" Jill heard as she collected herself. She stared out the open door, baffled and confused as to what just happened.

* * *

Hiro clung onto Baymax's back as the robot flew through the air, dodging cars being thrown at them by the Omnidroid. After several minutes of trying to snatch or smack them out of the air it'd changed tactics, throwing projectiles in an attempt to hit them. Hiro couldn't help but think back to Dave's words, when he told him that the Omnidroid could learn and adapt.

Baymax flew low before going high, avoiding cars that ended up going into buildings. Hiro was trying to think of a plan. He had to stop this thing, but at the same time he wasn't sure he could do it alone.

He was used to having a team to back him up. If his friends were here he was sure they could all take it out no problem. But they weren't and he wasn't sure if he and Baymax were going to be enough.

"Baymax rocket punch!" Hiro ordered. Baymax suddenly changed direction, flying at the Omnidroid and raising a hand. He fired, and his hand flew on target before hitting it like before. It staggered back but didn't go down, extending its claw like hand at them.

"Baymax knife hand!" As the claw closed in Baymax cocked back his remaining hand and then threw a side chop, knocking it aside as they continued forward. Baymax's other hand flew back and reattached itself.

"Alright Baymax get in close, we got to do some damage!" Hiro ordered. Baymax continued on course as the Omnidroid began to throw its arms out in an attempt to hit them. Baymax dodged as he continued to close the distance, but the Omnidroid's powerful brain began taking calculation, predicting Baymax's course and next move before a clawed hand snaked out.

Suddenly Baymax was grabbed out of the air and then hurled toward the ground. Hiro shouted in alarm as his magnetic gloves shut off and Baymax twisted around to grab him. He enclosed himself around Hiro as they collided with the ground, taking most of the impact and saving Hiro from serious injury.

Baymax stood up as Hiro picked himself off the ground, "Hiro, are you ok?" Baymax asked in concern.

Hiro stood up, albeit a little shakily. Nothing felt broken at least. "I'm fine Baymax," Hiro told him. Before Baymax could respond he was suddenly grabbed from behind and squeezed. "Baymax!" Hiro shouted as the Omnidroid reeled in the nurse bot, slamming him into the ground repeatedly before tossing him into a building.

Hiro watched in horror as Baymax crashed through a building and disappeared. Then his stomach dropped as the Omnidroid redirected its attention back at him. It recognized him as a threat. Not so much as Baymax, but enough as to be eliminated.

It began stalking toward Hiro. Hiro flinched before preparing to run. He attempted to run to his left and dart into a building for safety, only for a car to fall down in front of his path. He attempted to go the other way, only for that way to become blocked by the ruins of a car as well. Lastly he tried to run backwards, but yet another car crashed down in front of him, nearly killing him.

With his paths blocked he turned to face the Omnidroid slowly making its way toward him, pincher like hand clicking together menacingly as it towered over Hiro. Hiro swallowed, his life flashing before his eyes. If he was about to die...well he had a few regrets.

One of which was that he'd never even kissed a girl.

One of the Omnidroid's hand opened up, and the droid froze as it locked onto its target. Then it shot toward him. Hiro tensed up and shut his eyes as he awaited the killing blow.

But after a few moments of anxious and tortuous waiting, it never came.

Hiro peeked an eye open, only to see someone standing in front of him.

It was a girl. And to his shock and awe she had caught the Omnidroid's hand. Saving him.

Spectrum grit her teeth as she held the claw hand back with her strength, each hand wrapped around the tip of it's sharp fingers. The Omnidroid stared in confusion at the new arrival before Spectrum suddenly pried the fingers open.

Then with a grunt she broke the hand, ripping the pincers off and tossing them aside. The Omnidroid took a step back to asses the damage only for Spectrum to fly at it. She cocked back a fist and then threw a powerful punch. The Omnidroid fell back from the force of her blow and hit the ground on its back.

But Spectrum wasn't done. She flew down to its legs and wrapped her arms around one. Then she tugged.

Hiro watched in amazement as she lifted the entire Omnidroid into air only to slam it into the ground. Then she did so again. And again. And again. The whole area shook from the Omnidroid's impact and the machine was at a loss as to a countermeasure.

With one final shout Spectrum threw it to the ground one last time. The Omnidroid went still, light in its optical sensor fading and then going dim. Spectrum flew above it, looking at it to make sure it stayed down.

Then she looked back to the person she'd just saved. She looked into his masked face, finding his eyes concealed by a darker tint. He was short, only a little taller than her. And he seemed young, maybe her age?

"Look out!" he suddenly shouted. Spectrum arched a brow as a clawed hand suddenly wrapped around her. She let out a gasp in surprise before looking back to see the Omnidroid active once again.

It'd played possum to await an opportunity to attack. It cocked back its remaining arm before sending Spectrum flying.

She shouted as she hurled across the city, only to crash into a construction site. Her impact left a small crater in the ground. But otherwise ok she quickly stood up. She berated herself, glad Archer wasn't around. She'd lecture her on making sure her opponent was down before dropping her guard.

Before flying back to engage and this time finished off the robot her eyes fell on a few steel girders.

She smiled before grabbing one.

Meanwhile Hiro was on the run as the Omnidroid was back after him. His eyes were wide in panic as the Omnidroid gained on him, remaining hand clicking together as it chased him.

But suddenly Spectrum reappeared in a purple flash before it and behind Hiro.

"Surprise!" she shouted as the two ends of her scarf lengthened, wrapping around its legs before she made them pull back and yank it off balance. It was pulled right off its feet and fell to the ground once again.

As it processed this new development it saw something falling toward it from the sky. Spectrum flew upward and above it, raising her hands up to catch the steel girder she'd tossed into the sky moments before.

With a cry she raised it up before thrusting it downward with all her strength.

The beam of steel punched through the Omnidroids optic sensor and into its body. Sparks flew as it began to spasm and twitch, malfunctioning from the damage.

Spectrum twisted and turned the girder around, doing as much damage as possible until it finally went still.

This time Spectrum kept her eyes on it, waiting several moments to see if it's get back up.

Thankfully it didn't.

She let out a breath and smiled proudly to herself, hand on hip and immensely satisfied with her work.

Meanwhile, Hiro stared up at her in awe. Finally recognizing her. She was Spectrum. Limelight's sidekick. Kid hero he'd seen many a video clip of. As he continue to stare up at her something out of the corner of his eyes drew his attention. He saw what looked like a figure dressed in black, standing upon a building surveying the scene. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, finding it strange this person hadn't fled if it were a civilian.

Something suddenly landed behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to see Baymax touch down. He looked back to the figure, only to find it gone. He wondered if he'd imagined it, but he brushed it off for the moment before turning to Baymax.

"You ok buddy?" Hiro asked.

"I am showing no signs of serious damage," Baymax informed him. Hiro nodded before looking to his armor to find it dented and cracked. He knew he'd have to replace that, and soon.

"Are you alright...uh...citizen?"

Hiro turned to watch Spectrum floating down toward him. Hiro couldn't help but cock his head to the side as he watched her drift down from the sky like some kind of angel, her scarf fluttering in the breeze and the sun glinting off her yellow hair.

Next thing he knew she was standing right in front of him. "Uh...sir?" she asked awkwardly.

Hiro flinched, realizing he hadn't been talking. "Oh yeah-right. I'm fine. Thanks," he said quickly. "Good job with the robot," he said for reasons unknown to him.

"Meh. It was nothing. I've fought bigger," Spectrum said with a shrug.

"You're Spectrum," Hiro pointed out as if she didn't know. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a hero of Corona."

Spectrum tensed in panic. She didn't know what to say to that. Spectrum wasn't supposed to be in San Francisco. "Uh, well...I kind of just go where I'm needed," she lied with a nervous chuckle.

"What about you? I've never seen you before," Spectrum said as she looked him over.

"Oh yeah, I'm just visiting," Hiro answered. "I'm Hiro," he said. "Fellow superhero," he added.

Spectrum arched a brow. "Hero?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"That's your superhero name?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Hiro said.

"Not very creative. Don't you think?" she asked in amusement. Hiro blushed in embarrassment, suddenly cursing himself for not having a cool superhero alias. His hand stuck out stiffly before Spectrum suddenly clasped it with her own.

"Well its very nice to meet you Hero," she said with a friendly smile.

Hiro stiffened up at the contact even though it was through both their gloved hands. And her smile suddenly made it feel like his mouth were dry and his tongue swollen up like a sponge. His heart started to beat faster before he managed a smile of his own and proceeded to give her hand a shake.

Baymax looked to Hiro, his sensors taking note of his body's reaction to Spectrum.

"Hiro, I am detecting an elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. In addition it appears your testosterone levels have increased. Diagnosis: You are experiencing arousal and a sexual attraction toward the female known as Spectrum."

And just like that the good vibes and friendly atmosphere between the two young superhero was shattered like a sledgehammer through a glass window. Hiro stood there in mortification, face beginning to redden to the shade of a tomato while Spectrum just stared at him with wide eyes.

Suddenly Hiro became aware he had been shaking her hand way too long. He quickly released her and she took an awkward step backwards.

"Uhhh..." she said awkwardly, cheeks pink.

"He didn't mean that! My robot if crazy! He's malfunctioning! I'm not attracted to you! I mean look at you, why would I be attracted to you?" he said quickly and without any forethought.

Hiro was a genius. One of the smartest people on the planet. With an IQ well within Einstein's territory. But take away his amazing intellect and you were still left with an awkward pubescent young man who had no clue how to come close to understanding life's most complex enigma…

The fairer sex.

And due to his ignorance on the subject he hadn't realized he just tried to put a fire out with gasoline.

Spectrum's hair suddenly ignited and her eyes turned a red.

"Oh jeez!" Hiro shouted as he leapt back and away from her. Fear began to grow within him as he had no idea what he'd just done.

Spectrum glared at Hiro with red eyes, indignation burning within her. She suddenly jabbed her finger toward him and shouted, "You're a jerk!"

Then she shot into the air, leaving a trail of fire behind her. Hiro stared after her, feeling utterly embarrassed at Baymax's inopportune scans and diagnosis.

He whirled around to face his friend and companion, "Baymax! We need to talk buddy!"

* * *

Later that day Riley came home from school still angry. She'd flown back home and changed before rushing back to school. But because she'd missed some of her next class she'd been tardy and been given a talking to by the teacher in front of everyone. All the while Hiro's words burned inside her mind.

He'd basically called her ugly! And after she'd saved him! What a jerk!

She flung the door to her house open and proceeded to make her way upstairs.

Her parents noticed this display and foul mood, prompting her mother to call out to her in concern.

"Riley! Everything ok?!" her mother asked gently.

"Boys suck!" Riley called from upstairs.

"Yes they do sweetie!" her father called up to her in agreement. Jill looked to her husband with a blank face. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Don't encourage her Bill."

* * *

 **new chap**

 **silverwolf: No. This is a Riley Hiro story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Meeting...Again**

Riley sat on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest and glaring at the floor angrily. She thought of Hiro. The jerkface who called her ugly. Even after she'd saved his life from a giant robot.

Riley growled, fists clenching her pillow as the door to her room opened. She looked up to see her parents standing in her doorway, concern written on their faces.

"Riley. Are you ok sweetie?" Jill asked her daughter in concern.

Riley frowned, glancing down before looking back up at them. "Mom. Dad. Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked shyly.

Her parents flinched at the strange and unexpected question. "Of course we do Riley," her mother said sincerely. Her father nodded in agreement.

Riley just groaned, "You're my parents. You have to say that."

Her parents entered her room. Her mother took a seat on her bed. "Did a boy tell you were weren't?" she guessed from Riley's outburst when she'd first come home.

"Who was it?" Bill asked with a growl.

Jill looked to her husband. He looked back at her. She motioned with her eyes toward the door. He arched a brow. She did so again, more insistently. She even added a subtle motion of her head for emphasis.

Getting the message Bill clapped his hands together awkwardly as he made for the door. "Alright. I'm going to get some pizza. Be right back," he said as he left the room.

With mother and daughter now alone Jill scooted closer to Riley. "So was it a boy who said you weren't pretty?" her mother asked again.

Riley gave a nod. "Oh sweetie. Don't listen to that boy," she told her. She reached a hand out to tip Riley's face up. She gave her daughter a smile. "You're a beautiful girl Riley. No matter what anyone says. And just because I'm your mother doesn't believe I don't mean it."

Riley stared into her mother's eyes. And she managed a smile, blushing in mild embarrassment. "Thanks mom," she said gratefully.

Her mother gave her a hug before getting up and heading to the door. But she stopped in the doorway. "You know Riley. Often times, when a boy says something mean to a girl…" Riley arched a brow at her mother's back.

Jill turned to smile at her daughter, "It means he likes her."

* * *

Hiro was spread eagle on his bed. A day had passed since he'd met Spectrum. And after giving Baymax a stern talking to about giving him unwanted scans and diagnosis he'd retreated to his hotel. He'd spent all night drowning in misery, but when he woke up the next day he started to think about what happened.

Why had the Omnidroid become active? What was it doing? Where was it going? Who was that person he thought he'd seen?

He sat up in bed, head in his hands. He had a bad feeling. A feeling that this wasn't a random occurrence. Someone was pulling the strings. He was almost sure it was that person he'd seen.

But...what then? Could he stop this person alone? Apparently not, if yesterday was any indication.

If only the whole team were here. Together he was sure they could handle this. But they were on the opposite of the world. And he couldn't just ask them to up and come here. They had classes and responsibilities, not to mention a city to defend.

He pursed his lips, racking his brain for an idea. His mind wandered back to Spectrum.

His eyes widened, struck with inspiration. He got up off the bed and went to activate Baymax. The nurse bot inflated and looked to Hiro. "Good morning Hiro," Baymax greeted.

"Hey buddy. I need to ask you something," Hiro said. Baymax blinked and cocked his head to the side. "Did you scan Spectrum?" he asked.

Baymax blinked before answering, "Yes."

Hiro felt a spark of hope before pulling Baymax along. He took him out of the room and to the stairwell. They needed to get a good view of the city. After a few minutes they were on the rooftop.

"Alright buddy. Can you tell me if Spectrum is still in the city?" Hiro asked as he gestured out across the city. Baymax did as ordered, looking out over the city whilst activating his scanners. He swept over the city, scanning over thousands of people.

"Well?" Hiro asked after a few moments of silence.

"I have found a match," Baymax answered.

"Are you sure it's her?" Hiro asked.

"My scanners are 99.9% positive," Baymax replied. Hiro hummed. So there was a small chance it wasn't. But the odds were high. Very high.

It was good enough for him. With that he led Baymax back to the hotel room. Hiro got dressed before putting in a call to Dave. He lied to him, saying he needed a personal day after what happened the day before. Dave bought it, saying how he understood how one could be traumatized from the near death experience he'd been through.

Hiro was probably betting Dave was trying not to get sued. Either way he had the day to himself. He got dressed, donning a blue and orange hoodie with a black undershirt, some blue jeans, and some orange sneakers.

"Open your chest buddy," Hiro said. Baymax did as told, opening his chest to reveal his chip compartment. He took Baymax's personality chip and powered down his body. He reached into his suitcase, pulling out something he'd been working on.

It was a pair of glasses with thick black frames and headphones built in. Hiro pulled out his phone. But his was modified. There was a slot in the back, made specifically by him. He inserted Baymax's chip into it. He put his glasses on, and within a few moment the frames came to life.

"Baymax. Can you hear me?" Hiro said.

"Yes Hiro," he heard Baymax say into his headphones. Suddenly Hiro's glasses began displaying data and information. These glasses allowed him to view the world through Baymax's eyes.

"Baymax Mobile is a success," Hiro said with a proud smile. With that he grabbed his stuff and left his room. He left the hotel, following Baymax's directions.

He didn't know why Spectrum was still in the city. But it didn't matter.

Spectrum was here. And a super on his side dramatically increased the odds of success.

As he hopped on a trolley taking him in the same direction as his destination he also couldn't help but think that in back of his mind a part of him wanted to see her again.

* * *

The next day Riley woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for school. She took a bit more time brushing out her hair this morning however. As much as she hated to admit it Hiro's words still bothered her.

Riley had never been too overly concerned about the way she looked. But as she got older, moved from child to young adult, it had begun to matter. They way she looked, the clothes she wore, and how she came off to her peers always weighed on her mind in some way or another.

Once she finished getting ready she got dressed. Wearing a multicolored T-shirt with some blue jeans and sneakers and donning her denim jacket. She made her way downstairs, calling out a quick goodbye to her parents as she left.

She made her way to school, greeting her friends as she came inside and smiled to them all in greeting. When the bell rang they all began making their way to class.

* * *

Meanwhile Hiro was making his way towards Spectrum's last known coordinates. He came upon as residential district, soon coming to stand before a small two story house. He hummed as he looked it up and down.

"Baymax. Do a web search for me, find out who lives at this address," he said. Baymax did as told, scanning the address on the house and searching the web to find its residents.

"According to my search this home is occupied by the Andersens. Consisting of, Bill Andersen, Jill Andersen," Baymax revealed as he showed Hiro pictured of a husband and wife. "And lastly their daughter, Riley Andersen," Baymax finished as he showed him the final picture of a young girl.

Hiro hummed once again. The daughter...she had to be Spectrum. No way it was the mom or dad.

"How old is she Baymax?" Hiro asked. Baymax did a search, finding a social media site which Riley was a member and her birth date was available.

"Thirteen," Baymax informed him.

"Wow. She is young," Hiro commented. By her age Hiro guessed she was in middle school. "Baymax, what's the closest middle school in the vicinity? Highlight the ones within walking distance," he said. Baymax did as told, showing him a map of the area and marking the various middle schools.

Hiro took note of the closest one and began heading toward it. Within a few minutes he was at the school gates. It appeared school had already started. He decided waiting was his best option. He sighed and sat on the ground, and waited.

Hours passed, agonizingly slow for Hiro's tastes. He passed most of the time learning more about Spectrum. A.K.A Riley Andersen. She seemed to be a typical teenager. Liking typical teenage stuff. Just a normal girl…

Kind of pretty too.

Hiro flinched and blinked, wondering where that last thought had come from.

Finally the final bell rang. Hiro stood up and kept to the side of the school entrance as the kids began spilling out.

"Talk to me Baymax," Hiro said.

"Scanning," Baymax said. He began scanning all the kids leaving. "Match found," he said. He picked her out of the crowd and Hiro noticed her too, walking with a group of friends. Hiro began to walk, following her while trying to leave a considerable distance between them.

She walked with two of her female friends, making idle chatter. Interestingly they weren't walking towards Riley's home. Hiro pursed his lips as he staying on her. But as he was walking he realized he hadn't thought of what he was going to do now that he'd found her?

How did he go about trying to recruit her to his cause? And was he supposed just call her out?

Riley walked the two of her friends home before she began making her way home. Hiro followed, still trying to determine what he was going to say to her when she suddenly took a right. Hiro picked up his pace before peeking around the corner, only to see it was an alley.

And it was empty. Hiro's eyes widened as he entered the alley, looking around in bewilderment. Then to his shock and surprise something grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air.

Hiro shouted in fear and alarm as the ground got farther away. People became ants and they were soon hundreds of feet above the buildings.

"Oh god!" Hiro shouted aloud.

"Who are you?" came a feminine voice from behind him. Hiro tried to turn around to get a look. "Don't look back or I'll drop you," she said. Hiro stiffened up.

"I know you've been following me. Why? Who are you?" she asked harshly.

"Please put me down!" Hiro shouted.

"I will drop you," she warned once more.

"It's me, Hiro!" Hiro shouted quickly.

There was a long pause. "Hiro?" she asked.

"Yes Riley," Hiro said. He heard her gasp and in her surprise he released her grip. Hiro heart leapt into his throat as he fell a few feet. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't screamed like a shrill little girl. Luckily he was caught and then lowered safely and slowly to the ground.

He was released as soon as his feet touched the floor. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, breathing ragged. He gulped down the precious air before glancing back to the girl. She was staring at him warily, eyes wide in uncertainty.

"How did you find me? How do you know who I am?"

"My robot scanned you," he said as he picked himself up off the ground.

Riley immediately flushed, "It scanned me?!" She felt so immensly violated!

"Yeah. Sorry, he kind of just does that," Hiro apologized.

"So you know my name, what's yours?" she asked, hoping to even the playing field.

"My names is Hiro. Hiro Hamada," he told her.

Riley arched a brow. "Hero?"

"Yeah. With an 'I'."

"So your name is Hiro? And your superhero name is Hero?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's a little silly, don't you think?"

It was Hiro's turn to blush in embarrassment. Now that she'd said it aloud it did sound silly. He really needed to come up with a superhero alias.

"So what do you want with me then, Hiro?" Riley asked with a frown. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

"Right," he said as he straightened up so he could get to business. "Riley Andersen. Spectrum. I need your help to protect the city."

"No," Riley immediately answered. With that she turned on her heel and made to leave.

Hiro dashed after her before moving in front of her path. "What? Why?"

Riley scowled at him. "Three reasons. One: You're a jerk. Two: I don't like you. And three: You were following me like a creepy stalker," she told him.

Hiro ignored the sharp needles that struck him in the heart with her first two reasons and cursed himself for following her. It had been a little creepy.

"Look Riley. That robot that attacked the city, it was being controlled by someone. And that person is still in the city."

"If something attacks the city, I'll handle it," she said firmly. "Why don't you get someone _prettier_ to help you," she added bitterly. She pushed by him and started heading for home.

"Riley come on! We need to work together on this!" Hiro said as he followed behind her.

"Stop following me!" she called back as she continued towards home.

"Riley the people of this city will be in danger. We can't just wait for something else to happen. We have to find the one pulling the strings before they strike again," he insisted. Riley kept going, not even acknowledging him.

"There's a supervillain right here in your city Riley! Don't you want to do something about them?"

At that Riley stopped. A lightbulb went off in her head at the mention of a possible supervillain. She began to get an idea. What if she could catch and defeat this villain on her own? No Limelight. No archer. And no Big Four to back her up. She was betting that would get her major points with her mentor.

Then maybe she'd stop being treated like just some kid.

She glanced back at Hiro with a blank stare. He fidgeted awkwardly under her scrutinizing gaze. It was hard to tell what exactly she was thinking. And her blue eyes were making his face heat up and flush. He could also almost swear he sweat was forming on his brow.

She knew nothing about this guy. Other than the fact that he was a young hero like her. She was also pretty sure he had no superpowers. Not any she'd seen at least. He was also young, without his disguise she could definitely tell he was only a year or two older than her.

Apart of her wanted to say she need no help. But she'd be lying if she said she knew where to start when it came to tracking down this puppet master. But Hiro apparently did. So as much as it pained her to admit it...she couldn't do this _entirely_ alone.

"Fine," she said begrudgingly.

Hiro smiled brightly, "Great!" he cried, voice cracking. He caught it and flushed before swallowing and clearing his throat. "Good," he said, trying to sound professional.

Riley turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, where do we start?" she asked.

"Well I have an idea where to begin. But I need to get into the Haddock Industries Building tonight. Can I ask you something?" he began.

"What?"

"How does that thing you do where you just disappear and reappear work?" Hiro asked curiously.

"My teleportation?" she said. "I just think of where I want to go and I appear there," she said with a shrug.

"How far can you teleport?"

"Anywhere within a radius of just over a mile," she said. "And I have to see where I'm going. Or have been there before," she explained.

Hiro nodded in understanding. "Alright. I need to do something. How can I reach you?"

Riley held out her hand. "Got a phone?" Hiro nodded. "Give it to me." He complied, pulling his phone out of his pocket before handing it off to her. Riley took it and then brought out her communicator. Hiro eyes it curiously and watched as she waved it over his phone.

With that she handed it back.

"I have your number now. I'll call you later. I have stuff to do today," she told him. She began walking away, pausing at the end of the alley before looking back. "Do **not** follow me," she told him, voice and eyes serious.

He nodded. Then she looked away and rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. Hiro took a moment to let out a breath before he walked forward. He glanced to the side in the direction she'd gone, only to find no one there.

"That went pretty well I guess," he said aloud. "What do you think Baymax?"

"Body language, vocal tones, and neurotransmitters levels indicate considerable levels of dislike and contempt," Baymax informed him.

And just like that Hiro's optimism fell. "Thanks for that Baymax."

"You're welcome Hiro."

Hiro hummed in thought, hand in his pockets. He had an ally. Even if she hated his guts. He began pondering what he could do about that. Women seemed considerably more complex than any form of science he was familiar with.

He wondered if there was an equation for that?

* * *

 **new chap.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Begin the Investigation**

After his meeting with Riley Hiro made his way to the Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp building. He needed to be on the inside. He had a theory, just needed to back it up.

Everyone ignored him for the most part as he made his way to his office. He sat at his computer and logged in. With a bit of digging he managed to look into the database. He found that the company had several smaller facilities and warehouses around the city. And after doing a bit more digging he managed to look at a list of their inventories.

"Hiro?"

Hiro closed down his window before looking up to see Dave standing in the doorway of his office.

"Dave," Hiro greeted.

"What are you doing here Hiro? I thought you were taking a personal day," Dave asked curiously.

"Uh...well. I thought I would come in and get some work done. Almost dying shouldn't be an excuse for missing work," Hiro said with an awkward chuckle.

Dave smiled at him. "Good man Hiro. Music to my ears," Dave said in approval. "I'll let you get back to the grind Big H," he said before walking off.

Hiro rolled his eyes after Dave left. He got back to work. His big brain and amazing intellect were on overdrive. He had a pretty good idea on how to proceed. He even had Spectrum on his side...more or less. There was a slight hitch however.

Baymax's armor had been damaged in the fight. Hiro needed to replace it. Problem is the resources to do so were kind of...limited. This place however had exactly what he needed. Though he doubted the staff would let him create a whole new set of armor for Baymax without asking questions.

Meaning he was going to have to make an after hours visit.

* * *

Later that night Riley came home after hockey practice. She showered before eating dinner with her parents. They talked about their respective days, her father about work, Riley about school and hockey, and her mother about her own day.

Riley did however neglect to mention her meeting with Hiro. And the subsequent alliance to save San Francisco and find the puppet master responsible for its endangerment. She was going to keep that a secret too. After dinner Riley gave a fake yawn and told her parents she was going to turn in early.

They smiled at her, seemingly not suspecting anything. She hated lying to them. Honesty was a big part of who she was. But she couldn't exactly tell them she was going to go searching for a supervillain.

After going up to her room and getting tucked into bed and kissed goodnight she laid in bed, waiting and waiting. Hours passed until it was nearing 9:30 PM. She listened, finding the house completely silent, her parents both in bed.

She got up, throwing her blankets off herself and getting out of bed as silently as she could. Her feet touched the cold wood of her floor as she gently tiptoed her way toward her closet. She opened it and pulled out her Spectrum costume. She got dressed before she vanished in a purple flash.

She reappeared outside, high above her home just hovering in the sky. She pulled out her communicator and called up Hiro. She waited, floating in the sky with it up to her ear before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Where do I meet you?"

* * *

Hiro paced back and forth atop the hotel as he awaited for the arrival of his ally. Spectrum had called, and he'd told her where he was at. He was dressed in his superhero guise and an unarmored Baymax was standing there waiting with him. Baymax watched as he went back and forth, his scanners detecting the telltale signs of anxiety and stress.

"Hiro. Are you alright?" Baymax asked in concern.

"Fine buddy," Hiro said as he continued to pace.

"My scanners indicate that you are experiencing heightened levels of stress and nervousness," Baymax pointed out.

Hiro sighed. He hated how he couldn't hide anything from Baymax. Of course anyone could probably see he wasn't 'fine' at the moment. He was nervous about seeing Spectrum again. Not just because he had the arduous task of earning her trust so they could work together, but also because of something else.

* * *

 **Flashback**

A few hours earlier, after his visit to work, Hiro was back in his hotel room. He began psyching himself up. Going over his plan, what he needed to do. He also thought of Riley. He was really bothered by how much she disliked him.

Like a lot.

He remembered the good vibes they were having, the way she gave him a smile when they first met. Now all she did was frown, scowl, and glare at him. He really wanted her to like him. Or at least not hate him.

He tried to think of what he could do, only to come to the conclusion that he had no idea what to do. He knew nothing about women.

Needed some advice Hiro got his phone and dialed a friend. After a few rings Honey Lemon answered. "Hey Hiro!" Honey Lemon said brightly.

"Hey Honey Lemon," Hiro greeted back.

"How are you Hiro? What's up?"

"I'm fine Honey Lemon. I just called cuz I think I need a little advice," Hiro admitted sheepishly.

"Oh yeah? About what?"

Hiro pause, flushing nervously. "Well...uh…" he paused to swallow. "I met this girl and-"

There was a loud and long dramatic gasp from Honey Lemon's end. "You like a girl!" she squealed.

"No, I didn't say that," Hiro said quickly, but it was already too late.

"GOGO Hiro likes a girl!" Honey Lemon shouted into the background.

"Say what!?" came Gogo's distant voice.

"NO!"

"Hiro likes a girl!" Honey Lemon shouted.

"No way. Hiro, what's her name?" Gogo said aloud.

"Is she pretty?" Honey Lemon asked.

Hiro was seriously starting to regret this poor decision.

"Alright Hiro, if you want to get on her good side give her lots of compliments," Honey Lemon said.

"And play it cool," Gogo said.

Hiro sighed and rubbed his eyes in annoyance and utter abashment. He started hitting himself in the head with his phone. It got worse when he heard to more voices.

"Hey guys what's up?" Hiro heard Fred say somewhere in the background.

"Hiro likes a girl!" Honey Lemon said happily.

"What! Dude, no way! Hiro bro, is she hot?" Fred asked.

"Is that Hiro?" Hiro heard Wasabi ask.

"OK BYE!" Hiro shouted before hanging up.

He groaned, that not going how he planned at all. He wasn't looking forward to facing his friends again. That and he wasn't sure he'd learned anything useful.

"Ugh!"

* * *

Back in the present Hiro was continuing to pace when he heard a shout that made him freeze.

"Hiro!" Hiro looked up as Riley, dressed in her Spectrum outfit descended to land on the rooftop with him and Baymax.

"Riley," Hiro greeted, trying to put on his best smile.

To his confusion she narrowed her eyes at him. "Spectrum," she said lowly.

Hiro nearly slapped his forehead. Of course he shouldn't call her by her real name. She was in costume, she had a secret identity. Not very _cool_ of him.

Spectrum's eyes fell on Baymax. She arched a brow at him. "What is this?" she asked curiously as she pointed at the nurse bot.

"Oh. This is Baymax. The same robot from before," he told her.

"Hello. I am Baymax," Baymax greeted with a wave of his hand.

"Looks like a marshmallow man," Spectrum commented.

Hiro chuckled. "Yeah. That's what was in mind when he was built."

"Anyway," Spectrum said as she got to business. "What now? Where do we start?" Spectrum asked.

"Well here's the thing...I kind of need your help with something," he began. After a minute or two of explaining what he needed her to do-

"NO!" Spectrum shouted in rejection.

"Look-"

"No. You look," Spectrum said as she shoved her finger in his face. "I'm a superhero. I don't go breaking into places and I don't _steal_ things!"

"Look, I need to fix Baymax's armor. We're going to need him," Hiro argued. Spectrum arched a brow skeptically. "His scanners allow him to find anyone once he's scanned them. Just like how he found you. If we're going to catch the guy behind this, we need him," he stated.

"And look at him. You think he can fight anything like...this," he said as he gave Baymax a poke in his ballooney stomach.

Spectrum pressed her lips together as she pondered his words. He had a point. "Fine. But I'm going to make sure you return whatever you 'borrow'," she said firmly.

"Don't worry about that," Hiro said with a nod.

"So how do we get in?" she asked as he looked over the dark building.

"Can you teleport with people?" Hiro asked.

"No."

"Ok. No problem. Anyway, you teleport in, unlock the doors from the inside and let me in," he said like it were simple.

"What about cameras and security?"

"Got it covered," he said. He raised his left arm, and from the top of his glove a holographic display came up. "I've already hacked into the building's security. I'll have the camera play on a loop and deactivate the motion sensors. Easy," he said.

"So, you ready?" Hiro asked.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later…_

Hiro took a deep breath as he stood in the middle of the labs. The hallowed ground he'd been dying to see and get his hands into. Computers, 3-D printers, and everything else he might need were all right at his fingertips.

"Hurry up Hiro," Spectrum said lowly.

"Oh right," he said. He clapped and then rubbed his hands together as he got to work. He fired up the computers and software. He didn't have the time to fashion armor with the exact same specs and color scheme. So he decided he'd switch it up a bit.

His hands flew over the keys. He used holographic projections to shape and design the new armor. All the while Spectrum couldn't help but watch, impressed. Hiro moved about, using equipment and technology whose functions she could barely fathom. And he made it look so easy. He moved about as if he were at home.

As Hiro was in the midst of designing the armor Spectrum came up behind him and bent down to look over his shoulder. Hiro's fingers came to a halt and his face began to grow warm at her proximity.

"Wow Hiro. This is pretty cool. You're really smart," Spectrum said in genuine amazement.

"Uh...thanks," he said bashfully.

"You might almost be as smart as Night Fury," Spectrum said as she stood up and took a few steps back. She took a seat in a chair casually while Hiro, his curiosity piqued turned to face her.

"Night Fury...that's the guy in the armor from Berk right?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah. He's the leader of the Big Four," she said. She raised a hand up to count off on her fingers. "There's Night Fury, who the leader and supersmart. There's Frost, he has magic and can make ice and snow. There's Archer, she's awesome with a bow and like _never_ misses," she said as she counted off each hero.

"And then there's Limelight. The strongest, fastest, and coolest hero ever," Spectrum said in deep admiration. "She's also my mentor and the cool big sister I never had," she added fondly.

"Tell me more about Night Fury?" Hiro asked, his interest in the armored hero greater than the others by far.

"Oh. Well he's really smart. Limelight says he's like a supergenius. And one of the smartest guys on the planet. He has a robot too. Her name is Eve. She can fly, she's smart, and she can shoot these energy blasts than can blow a hole in a wall. It's pretty cool."

"Do you know who he is?"

"Even if I did I wouldn't tell you."

"So that's a no then?"

Spectrum shook her head. "No clue. He always wears his helmet in front of me. I don't think he likes me very much," she said with a shrug.

"Speaking of the Big Four, couldn't you call them up and get thim in on all this? They'd be a big help for sure," Hiro pointed out.

Spectrum stiffened up. "Oh, well they're all kind of busy. We're on our own," she lied quickly.

Hiro stared at her before apparently accepting her answer before turning back to his work. It took about three hours before Hiro had made a full set of armor, coupled with jet engines and a propulsion system for Baymax's flight capabilities.

"Alright, let's go," he told Spectrum. They snuck out without being noticed while carrying out Baymax's new armor. Spectrum carried most of it. She flew him and it back to the hotel where Baymax was waiting.

Spectrum stood back and watched as Hiro began outfitting Baymax with his new armor.

"There ya go buddy," Hiro said as he stepped back to admire his work. "It's only temporary. But it'll do for now."

Baymax looked down at himself. His new armor was primarily white. But it also had bits of orange on his arms, shoulder, neck, and stomach. And green on his legs and chest piece. His new helmet completely concealed his face, giving Baymax a menacing and scarier look.

"Not bad," Spectrum said in approval. "Really cool. But can we hurry up? It's past midnight and I have school tomorrow," Spectrum said.

"Yes," Hiro activated the holographic display on his arm again. This time it showed a map of the city. And on it were several blips. "There are three more facilities in San Francisco that hold an Omnidroid," he stated.

"Omnidroid?" Spectrum asked.

"That robot you fought yesterday," he informed her. "I think this is what our bad guy is after. If we can get to them and dismantle them, our puppet master can't activate them and maybe we catch him in the process," Hiro explained.

"Ok. That makes sense. Where do we start then?"

The two of them flew across the city and to the closest warehouse. It was a simple large and squared building composed of thick walls and thicker steel doors. They flew over the gates and landed, walking up to the building side by side.

Spectrum let out a yawn. It was very late. And she had school still. That was not going to be fun.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah. Just tired," she said as she waved it off.

"Right," he said. He glanced around awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. He wasn't sure if she was warmed up to him yet, or merely tolerating being near him for the sake of their shared goal.

"Hey Spectrum," he began. She glanced over to him. "That was really cool how you handled that robot yesterday. You're very...durable," he told her.

She stared at him blankly. In hindsight, that now sounded stupid in his own ears.

"Thanks...I guess," she said in acceptance. She picked up the pace, walking ahead until they reached the large set of double steel doors. "So how do we get in?" she asked as she jerked a thumb at the closed entrance.

Hiro hummed in thought. "Give me a sec…" Hiro said as he raised an arm. His holographic display appeared and he began examining the schematics of the building.

"Hope you figure this out quick Hiro. I don't want to be standing out here all night," she said rather grumpily. Her exhaustion was making her patience thin. But she didn't have to wait long.

As if to answer her wish something burst through the doors with a loud crash, ripping them off their hinges. Spectrum was too surprised to get out of the way as a long segmented leg with four fingered grappling claws grabbed her and pulled her inside.

"Hiro!" Spectrum shouted in alarm.

"Spectrum!" Hiro shouted as he and Baymax rushed in after her.

They came in to find Spectrum being pinned down by the Omnidroid. Hiro recognized it from the blueprints he'd found as the Omnidroid v.X4. Unlike the previous one they'd fought this one stood on four segmented legs ending in four fingered grappling claws. This one was more spherical in shape. Looking like some kind of upside down dark metal egg. On it's body were four sensory arrays, one for every direction. It was very tall, at least ten feet in height and twenty altogether given the length of its legs.

Spectrum grunted, hands wrapped around two of the four claws holding her against the ground. One of the greenish blue optical sensors was directed right down at her, intent on crushing the life out of her.

Spectrum regained her wits before vanishing from under it in a purple flash. She reappeared in front of Hiro and Baymax as the Omnidroid turned its attention toward them, one hand opening and closing threateningly.

Spectrum was wide awake now, adrenaline surging and wits about her.

"Stay behind me Hiro," Spectrum said over her shoulder.

"Will do," Hiro said.

They waited anxiously, bodies tense as the Omnidroid stared them down. Its computer brain was formulating a strategy to ensure its victory. Its last leg hit the floor before it charged them.

Spectrum tensed, focusing her powers before she shot at it in a blur of yellow.

Hiro watched on in amazement as Spectrum, a girl younger than himself, flew head first into danger. Fully prepared to fight against a giant metal monster several times her size that could tear any other girl like her apart.

Then of course he realized Spectrum was no ordinary girl. She was amazing.

She was... _Spectacular._

* * *

 **if anyone is wondering what Baymax's new armor looks like just look up comic book baymax.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Secret Life of the American Teenage Superhero**

Spectrum and the Omnidroid closed the distance between them in a few seconds, both prepared to lash out at the other. But the Omnidroid was quicker. One of its legs came up and collided with Spectrum's side, sending her flying away through several crates before hitting the ground.

As she about to pick herself off the floor the Omnidroid continued its attack. One of its clawed hands shot out and grabbed her before lifting her up and throwing her down to the ground. It did so over and over again, trying to smash her to death.

With a grunt Spectrum vanished from its grip in a purple flash before reappearing in midair beside it. She threw a punch that sent it stumbling in the opposite direction. Its hands began snaking out as it alternated claws to stand on and attack her with.

She bobbed and weaved, dodging the long segmented legs and snatching claws with amazing skill. But the Omnidroid got lucky, claws closing around one of her legs before it flung her downward and smashed her through another crate.

It began to swing her around by the legs, prompting her to call out to her companion. "Hiro, do something!" she cried.

Hiro snapped from his stupor. He'd been so amazed with watching her battle that he'd just been standing and staring at her the whole time. "Right," Hiro said as he leapt onto Baymax's back. "Let's get in there Baymax. Rocket punch," he ordered. Baymax lowered his arm and took aim before firing his forearm at the Omnidroid.

His forearm flew on course, but having caught it coming it jerked out of the way. In its distraction however Spectrum managed to tug her leg. She flew back before strafing in mid air to avoid the series of claws hands leaping out, smashing into wall and through crates as they tried grabbing her.

Baymax meanwhile was closing in with his fist cocked back. An arm snaked out to grab at him but knocked it aside with a powerful blow. He collided with it, sending the Omnidroid staggering off balance and to the ground. Its segmented legs wriggled about as it rolled this way and that in an attempt to get its feet under it.

Seeing a chance to strike Spectrum flew low and right for its head. She barrel out of the way of its arms before hitting it from the side and sending it flying. It hit the wall of warehouse, rattling the whole building before it finally planted its hands into the ground and got itself back up.

Switching strategies its arms reached out, snatching up whatever crates within reach before hurling them at the young heroes. Spectrum dodged while Baymax threw punches and kicks, smashing the crates before they could reach him and Hiro.

The Omnidroid ceased its attack, pausing to try and think of a new plan. It suddenly drove its claws into the wall of the warehouse before beginning to climb like some kind of huge spider. Soon enough it was dangling from the ceiling by one leg, the remaining threw poised and ready to strike.

Spectrum narrowed her eyes before flying up and at it. Baymax followed suite. But the Omnidroid was ready. It lashed out with all three of its legs at once, not allowing them to get close enough to its body. Spectrum flew left and right, looking for an opening. When she believed she'd found one she flew at it.

But unbeknownst to her, that was exactly what the Omnidroid wanted. It'd left a false opening to draw her in. It did some calculation before swinging downward with one of its legs. It caught Spectrum in the back and smashed her against the floor. Before she could get up the clawed hand closed around her and threw her harshly against the warehouse wall.

Hiro watched in horror as the Omnidroid drove Spectrum into the ground before flinging her against a far wall. She hit the wall hard, leaving a large crack and dent in its surface before she fell to the ground, still. His stomach dropped as he directed Baymax to go to her.

But right as they turned the Omnidroid managed to swat them. It sent Baymax off course. Baymax twisted and enclosed himself around Hiro as they collided with a crate, smashing it to bits. Baymax released Hiro. And Hiro looked up to see the Omnidroid crawling along the ceiling and toward Spectrum.

"Baymax, stop it!" Hiro ordered as he ran to Spectrum. Baymax stood up and flew at the Omnidroid. He grabbed two of its arms before attempting to pull it back. The Omnidroid took its attention off Spectrum to deal with Baymax.

Hiro meanwhile ran to Spectrum. He nudged her gently, trying to wake her up. She was breathing, so that was a good sign. He assumed that she'd just been knocked out. He was about to try and shake her awake when Baymax came flying over his head. He looked to see the nurse bot being pinned against the wall, held in place by a clawed hand. Baymax attempted to push the hand away, but struggled to do so. Hiro looked to the Omnidroid to see it'd dropped back to the ground and was closing in on them.

Hiro panicked, looking around to see if anything in the warehouse would be useful to them. His eyes fell onto something shimmering on the ground. He snatched it right as the Omnidroid swung its arm sideway in an attempt to knock him aside.

Hiro raised the object up and braced himself for the impact. And to his amazement he didn't get sent flying. He felt the blow travel into his arm, but given the Omnidroid's size and mass when compared to his own, he should have been batted away like nothing.

The Omnidroid pulled it arms back, staring at Hiro holding up some kind of shimmering metallic disk. It was some kind of shield. The Omnidroid continued its attack, coming from overhead this time as it rained down blows. Hiro raised the shield over his head and blocked them, and once again the blows didn't seem to be impacting with as much force as they should have been.

He should have been smeared against the ground by now, and to his confusion the shield on his arm began to buzz as the blows came. The Omnidroid paused its assault to stare at Hiro in confusion. Hiro peeked around the edge of his shield, staring at it before it began to advance.

Meanwhile Spectrum began to come to, eyelids fluttering open. She immediately caught sight of Hiro standing before her, and the Omnidroid baring down on them both. She willed herself up, telekinetic abilities activating and turning her eyes and hair yellow as she prepared to fight.

Hiro watched the Omnidroid come and made to readjust the shield, only to inadvertently hit some kind of switch. With a click the shield began to change, splitting down the middle before forming into some kind of crossbow.

From the crossbow like weapon a barrel popped out. Hiro raised it up in astonishment and awe, pointing the barrel right at the advancing Omnidroid, when a light began to shine from within it.

A moment later there was a great flash as a beam of bluish purple energy fired from the barrel and hit the Omnidroid. The Omnidroid froze as it was struck by the beam and sent hurtling away. It crashed through the wall of the warehouse while Hiro went flying backwards and into Spectrum.

Spectrum caught him in her arms, legs braced for the impact but still forced back a step. Hiro suddenly screamed. She let him go, thinking she'd somehow hurt him. Hiro fell to the ground, right hand curling around his left arm as he writhed and hissed in pain.

"Feels like I nearly broke my arm," Hiro said through gritted teeth.

Baymax, now free, walked up to the downed Hiro. He scanned him. "I am detecting no severe damage to your arm Hiro. However you do appear to have a minor sprain," Baymax informed him.

Hiro sucked in a breath as he sat up. He rubbed at his elbow which throbbed before muttering, "Good to know." He picked himself up before they all went to the hole which the Omnidroid had been blasted through.

They peeked outside to find the Omnidroid lying out in the open, surface dented and the occasional sputtering spark coming off it.

"Must have damaged its insides enough to cause a malfunction," Hiro said. He glanced down to the shield still on his arm.

Suddenly the sound of police sirens broke the silence. Hiro and Spectrum exchanged a glance before deciding it was time to leave. They took to the air, but Hiro held onto the shield, wanting a chance to get a look at it but promising Spectrum he'd return it after they were done.

They flew to the next warehouse, this time opting to be more careful and wary of the next Omnidroid. But when they got there they were stunned to see a hole in the building. However from the looks of it, something made it from the inside on its way out.

They exchanged a glance, examining the inside of the warehouse to find it devoid of the Omnidroid. They exchanged a worried glance before moving onto the next one. But once again they were met with the sight of an escape hole made from the inside, coupled with the lack of an Omnidroid, they knew that could only mean one thing.

The Omnidroids had become active and escaped. Not only that they were roaming the city. They took to the air again, sweeping over the city from the sky for any signs of the Omnidroids. But they found nothing. With the sunrise impending they flew back to Hiro's hotel.

They landed, worried glances on both their faces.

"Now what?" Spectrum asked Hiro.

Hiro at the moment was drawn a blank. He looked down at the ground, unable to think of a plan on the spot. "Give me till tomorrow," he told her. "I'll think of something."

She nodded before rising, "Tomorrow then," she said with one last nod. Then she flew off toward home. Hiro sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he began to remove Baymax's armor.

* * *

Riley flew home, teleporting into her room before stripping out of her Spectrum, changing into her pajamas, and then crawling back into bed. Unfortunately she was too wired and worried about the possibilities of two more killer robots roaming around the city to drift off. She tossed and turned in a fitful sleep before finally managing to shut her eyes.

But as soon as she did her alarm clock began to ring. Riley groaned miserably, exhausted as she slapped a hand over the clock to silence it. She trudged through her home, somehow managing to feed herself, wash, and then dress herself. Then she made her way downstairs to head off to school.

As her parents were about to see her off they stopped to stare at her. Concern etched into their faces as they took in her baggy eyes and less than perky demeanor.

"Riley, are you ok?" Jill asked her daughter in concern.

Riley managed a tired smile. "Yeah mom. Just had a little trouble sleeping last night is all. I'll be fine," Riley said dismissively. With that she said a quick goodbye before they could ask anymore questions.

Riley made her way to school, eyes droopy and letting out the occasional yawn. She made it to the gates, taking in a breath as she steeled herself for the day.

* * *

Meanwhile Hiro was in his hotel room, trying to think of their next move. He wasn't going to bother going into work today. It's not like he was going to do anything important anyway. And he figured he could probably get one more free day out of the whole almost dying thing.

He was also taking the time to examine the shield he'd borrowed. He inspected every inch of it, testing the levers buttons. He inadvertently broke a lamp when he discovered that it shot out projectiles, bolas to be precise. And it also appeared to have a grappling hook feature.

"Wonder who made this?" Hiro muttered to himself. He remembered what he'd done with it last night. The only problem was the recoil. His left arm, which had been wrapped by Baymax in bandages, was a reminder of that. After a few more moments of examining it he put it away. He soon laid back on his bed. He tried to plan his next move. Two Omnidroids were on the loose. Roaming the city somewhere. They were dangerous and they needed to be stopped.

But how could he find them?

Hiro began to contemplate, but as he was in the midst of doing so his mind wandered back to Riley. He frowned, trying to banish her from his thoughts only to find her presence in his mind pervasive.

"Ugh. Stupid brain," he said as he sat up. This had been happening a lot lately.

Hiro groaned, and needing someone to talk to he grabbed his phone and dialed up Honey Lemon once again.

"Hey Hiro," she answered brightly.

"Hey Honey Lemon," Hiro said.

"So...how's it going with you lady friend?" Honey Lemon asked inquisitively.

"Good...I think," Hiro answered, unsure.

"What's wrong?" Honey Lemon asked.

"I'm not entirely sure how she feels about me," Hiro admitted. "She kind of always scowls, frowns, and glares at me. She also called me a jerk and said she said she didn't like me."

"Oh Hiro, you know nothing about women," Honey Lemon told him in amusement.

"Quantum Mechanics is easy, women are hard," Hiro said in his defense.

"Ok Hiro, I know we gave you some pointers yesterday, but forget all of that," Honey Lemon said.

"Ok?" Hiro said curiously, wondering where she was going with this.

"The only thing that matters, is that you be yourself," Honey Lemon said.

"But what if myself sucks at talking to girls?"

"Just be yourself Hiro. And be honest," Honey Lemon said firmly. "Trust me Hiro. You're a pretty cool guy Hiro. If you do that she'll see that too."

Hiro remained silent, wondering if it could be so simple. Be himself? It couldn't be that easy…could it?

"Thanks Honey Lemon," Hiro said to his friend.

"No problem Hiro."

"I'm going to go now. Tell the guys I said hey," Hiro said.

"Ok. Bye Hiro. Good luck," she said coyly.

Hiro blushed before hanging up. He sat there in silence and decided he needed a break. He got dressed before heading out of his room. But he made sure to grab Baymax's chip and put it into his phone before grabbing his glasses.

He left the hotel before making his way towards Riley's home.

* * *

Riley walked home from school, stifling a yawn. Today had been...difficult. She'd struggled to stay awake in all her classes and had even fallen asleep during lunch. And now her friends wanted to hang out after school. She'd accepted, too tired to come up with an excuse as to why she couldn't hang out with them.

She reached her home, climbing the steps and up to her front door when someone suddenly called out to her.

"Riley."

Riley stopped and turned to see Hiro standing there. She arched a brow. "Hiro?"

"Hey," Hiro said awkwardly with a wave.

She furrowed his brows. "What are you doing here Hiro?" she asked curiously.

"Well…" he paused to think of an excuse. "I came to say I don't have a lead on the Omnidroids just yet. But I'm still working on it," he lied.

"And you had to come all the way here to tell me?"

"I don't have a way to reach you," Hiro reminded her.

Riley blinked in realization. "Oh...right. Well ok then," she said.

They lapsed into awkward silence, staring at each other and unsure what to do now.

"Well ok," Hiro said as he began to back away. "I'll just go," he said as he made to leave.

Riley stared at him, feeling bad that he'd come all this way just to talk strategy. "Hiro," she called out to him. He stopped and turned around. "You want to hang out for a while?"

Hiro flinched in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go to a friend's house in a bit. You can come with if you want," she offered.

"Oh. Sure."

With a small smile Riley beckoned him inside her home. She introduced him to her mother, who was curious about her daughter's new friend. Thankfully she didn't pry too much, probably assuming Hiro was a friend from school before making Hiro and Riley a light lunch as Riley did her homework.

Hiro helped her with her math and science homework, helping her finish no time at all. When she was done Riley stood up and told her mom they were going to a nearby friend's house. Riley's mother smiled and said goodbye as Hiro as they left together.

They walked side by side, hands in their respective sweatshirts. They were silent, eyes straight ahead but occasionally flicking towards each other. Hiro flushed, trying to think of something to say when Riley beat him to it.

"So Hiro, how old are you?" Riley asked.

"Fifteen," he answered.

"Why did you become a superhero? You're barely older than I am."

"Ah, well it's kind of a long story," Hiro said.

"We've got some time," Riley commented.

"Well...it started with a fire," Hiro began as he told Riley about his brother. He told her about the fire that killed his brother and his subsequent quest for justice and revenge that ultimately led to the creation of his team and his career as a superhero.

"Wow," Riley said as she looked to Hiro. Her eyes twinkled with interest. "Your team sounds cool. And you made all their stuff. AND you're already in college! You're amazing," she said in awe.

Hiro chuckled awkwardly in abashment. "How about you? Were you born with your powers? And how did you meet Limelight if you live in San Francisco?"

"Well I was kidnapped from an airport and taken to a secret facility on a boat trying to create superhumans where this crazy scientist injected me with this experimental mutagen and then performed a number of painful experiments on me to try and bring out my powers, but they wouldn't manifest but then they did and I used them to escape," Riley said. Hiro stared at her in shock, and she was apparently only pausing to take a breath before continuing. "After escaping I washed up on the beach of Corona city and lived on the streets until I met Limelight who returned me to my parents. I met with the NSA who helped me learn to control them but then that guy who experimented on me found me and tried to take me back, but Limelight showed up and fought him and his goons off. Then the NSA thought I should use my powers for good and convinced Limelight to make me her sidekick," Riley finished.

Hiro stared at her in bafflement, mouth slightly ajar. She had one hell of a story. She'd been through hell, and yet she was so bright and cheery.

Riley stopped and looked back at Hiro who'd stopped to stare at her dumbfounded. She smiled and giggled at his expression, "Coming Hiro?" she asked teasingly. Hiro snapped from his stupor and followed after her.

Soon enough they arrived at the home of Riley's friend. They walked into the open garage to find a small gathering of her friends and peers sitting around watching a few more of them playing instruments in a garage band. They stood off to the side and listened, finding the band to be quite decent.

They played what Hiro recognized as ACDC. There was a kid on bass, another on drums, another on lead guitar, and lastly someone who was also doing the vocals. They watched in silence until they finished their set.

When they were done everyone clapped, Hiro included. And that was when the room lapsed into silence as all eyes turned to him. He stopped clapping and just stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do.

"Hey guys," Riley greeted the room. The group of friends, three girls, and four boys greeted her back before flicking their gaze back to the stranger in the room.

"Hey Riley," Jordan, the one on bass greeted with a smile and a nod of his head. "Who's this?" he said as he motioned with his head to Hiro.

"This," Riley said as she placed a hand against Hiro's arm. "Is Hiro," she informed them. There was a snicker from someone in the room, likely at his strange and foreign name. "He's from Japan," she added.

At that little tidbit of information all eyes widened in amazement. They all suddenly came forward and swarmed him, asking his questions about Japan, anime, and other things.

"Do you speak Japanese?" one of the girls asked.

"Yeah," Hiro answered.

"Say something in Japanese," one of them requested.

"Watashi no namae wa Hamada Hiro desu," Hiro said.

The group all wowed in amazement. They began to head inside, to the living room of the home where they all found seats on either couches or the floor. Hiro stuck close to Riley, still very nervous about being among all these strangers.

And teens.

Truth be told, Hiro had never really had friends his own age. Ever since he was young he'd been gifted with intelligence far beyond those of his peers. He was different. And sometimes, being different makes you a target. In his case he was a nail that stood up and was practically begging to be put down.

He spent most of his school years by himself, so when he was thirteen he jumped at the chance and graduated high school far earlier than any of his peers. He had friends now, but they were all college students. He wasn't sure he knew how to fit in with people his own age.

"Yo Riley, you want a drink?" Jordan called out from the kitchen.

"Yes," Riley said as she got up off the couch and went to the kitchen herself. Hiro watched her go in panic as two of the girls took a seat on either side of him.

One of them kind of reminded him of Gogo as she died a portion of her hair a striking blue. She also wore eyeliner. She wore a maroon jacket and grey skinny jeans with some black boots.

"So what's it like living in Japan?" she asked.

Hiro looked to her, "Well I've lived there my whole life. So I'm not sure how to describe it," he said with a shrug.

The girl on his other side, wearing a purple plaid shirt with a white skull undershirt scooted closer to his left. She wore a black skirt with black leggings and black flats. She had two black circular earrings on one ear. And had her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"So what grade are you in? Do you go to our school?" she asked, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"No. I go to school in Japan. I'm actually in college," he answered.

The girls gasped. "No way!" they the one in the purple said in amazement.

"Ooh, college guy," an African American girl said as she leaned over the couch from behind him. Hiro felt his face heating up as the girls giggled at each other in unison and began asking him more questions.

"Hiro, want something to drink?" Riley called out.

Using the opportunity Hiro slowly got off the couch, taking special care to not touch any of the girls as he circled the couch and made his way over to Riley. She was leaning against a counter, holding out a can of soda for him to take. He did so and came up to lean against the counter at her side.

"Relax," Riley said quietly to him. He glanced to her, "Relax. We're just hanging out," she told him.

"Right," he muttered in embarrassment.

"So are you really in college Hiro?" Jordan asked.

"Yes. I go to San Fransokyo Tech," he answered.

"So what are you doing here? And how do you know Riley?" Jordan pressed. Hiro could almost swear he sensed hostility in Jordan's line of questioning.

"Well I'm here doing an internship," he answered. He stopped, not sure how to answer the next part.

"And we've known each other for years," Riley answered suddenly. Hiro looked to her curiously, not sure where she was going with this. "We've been online friends and pen pals since I've lived in Minnesota," Riley answered.

She threw Hiro a glance, causing him to flinch. "Oh yeah. Pen pals," he said in agreement.

Their lie was apparently believable as no one pushed the issue any farther.

"So what do you do for fun in Japan Hiro?" one of the other boys asked.

"Well...ever hear of Bot fighting?"

A few moments later everyone was gathered around the TV which was linked to one of their laptops and currently showing a video of two miniature robots fighting and ripping each other apart. The boys were cheering in excitement, the battling robots being some of the coolest things they'd ever seen.

Hiro smiled as he sat on the couch with Riley next to him and Jordan on her other side. For the most part everyone's attention was on the video, Hiro's included until he felt something fall against his shoulder. He glanced to the side to see Riley had dozed off despite the noise and everyone else around them and had taken to using Hiro's shoulder as a place to rest her head.

He figured she must still be tired from the night before. He studied her face, her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and looking quite peaceful.

She was still pretty. Even when she slept.

After watching a few more bot fighting videos Riley woke up and told everyone that they had to go. Everyone said goodbye to Hiro with smiles and waves, hoping to see him again before he went back to Japan. He smiled and told them he'd try.

The girls in particular expressed great interest in seeing him again. He blushed and mumbled a goodbye before walking home with Riley.

"My friends like you," Riley commented.

"Really?" Hiro asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Riley said with a nod.

Hiro couldn't help but smile in pride. Despite never having hung out with teens that'd gone pretty well.

"So what was up with that shield thing from last night?" Riley asked.

"Oh yeah. It's amazing. It's got some kind of kinetic energy converter, absorbing the energy of impact forces and then channeling it into that beam," he said.

"That's...cool...I guess," Riley said, not fully understanding the concept. "How's your arm?" she asked as she reached her hands out and touched him gently. Hiro stiffened and flinched away. "Oh gosh sorry!" Riley said as she reeled her hands back.

"It's ok. Just a little sore," he said as he rubbed his elbow. "Oh, and Riley," Hiro began. She looked to him in question. "I uh, wanted to say sorry for what I said when we first met." She looked at him with an arched brow, "Thanks for saving me again."

Riley shrugged, "No problem," she replied casually. "I'm sorry too," she added. Hiro arched a brow, wondering what she was apologizing for. "For calling you a jerk. You saved me too...so thanks. And...you're pretty cool."

Hiro gave a nod in acceptance. They shared a smile as they continued on their way to Riley's home.

When they reached it Hiro paused with his hands in his pockets. "Guess I'll head back to the hotel now. Get back to finding those Omnidroids," he said.

"Ok. But give me your phone first," she said to him. He arched a brow but did as told, unlocking it for her before handing it off. She stared at it before quickly typing something into it. Then she handed it back. "There, my number," she explained. "Now you can reach me."

Hiro smiled and nodded before Riley began walking up the stair and to her door.

"Hey Riley," Hiro suddenly said. There was one last thing he wanted to say to her. Riley stopped at her door before turning to look down at him. "About what I said the first time we met...I didn't mean it," he explained with a heated face. She furrowed her brows, not quite understanding what he was trying to say.

Hiro sucked in a breath through the nose before looking up and into her eyes. "I think you're pretty," he admitted.

Riley stared at him, her expression unreadable. Hiro stood there nervously, hoping he hadn't made things weird between them when it had been going to well.

"Thanks...I guess," Riley replied. With that she turned and went inside. Hiro stared up after her. He sighed, not entirely sure if he should have said what he did.

But it was out there now. And she hadn't called him a jerk...so he took it as a win.

With that he made way to his hotel, pausing to glance at his phone which had Riley's number displayed. A sense of pride and joy began to resonate within him and he couldn't help but smile widely from ear to ear.

He'd just gotten a girl's number.

* * *

Jill came downstair as she heard the door to her home open. "Riley?" she called out.

"Yeah mom, I'm back," she heard her daughter call. Jill came down and turned in the direction of the living room. She peeked in and arched a brow at the sight of her daughter sitting on the sofa with small smile.

"Something good happen today Riley?" Jill asked curiously.

Riley looked to her mother. "No. Not really," she answered casually.

Jill approached. "Really?" she pressed.

"Yes mom. Just a normal day. I hung out with Hiro and my friends," she said with a shrug.

"So, nothing interesting. Nothing at all?" Jill asked, looking her daughter right in the eye. That was when Riley realized she was at eye level with her mother. She glanced down to find herself still sitting on the sofa. Only it was floating off the ground, suspended in the air by her telekinetic powers which had been triggered by a rush of a particular emotion. Her eyes widened and she bulshed in embarrassment.

She reigned in her powers as she made the sofa descend back to the floor. Her mother, curiosity piqued, sat down beside her. "So what happened sweetie? Something must have really made you happy," her mother pointed out.

Her cheeks were still tinged with pink. She brushed some hair out of her face and turned to hide a smile. She didn't know why she was so happy. It was such a simple thing, a compliment from the opposite sex. She'd been complemented before. Plenty of times...yet something about Hiro telling her to her face, that look in his eye as he'd held her gaze and said those four words.

She looked to her mother shyly, unable to hide her smile or the joy shining from her eyes.

"A boy thinks I'm pretty."

* * *

 **the following chapter is brought to you by men.**

 **Men! We don't know what we did!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Meet at Last**

When Hiro got back to his hotel he redirected his efforts into finding the Omnidroids. He started by trying to find a pattern. "Look at it from another angle," he told himself. He compared his encounter with the first Omnidroid to the second.

The first had activated and gone on a rampage in the middle of the day. But the other, they'd activated at night. Why? He hummed in thought. The first Omnidroid had been practically unstoppable, the police, and himself unable to do anything to it until Riley showed up.

"Ugh, not now brain," Hiro told himself in frustration as his thought wandered back to Riley once again. He told himself to focus, and was about to start his contemplation once again, only to have an idea.

"Spectrum," he whispered as a thought, a theory occurred to him. As he began to put the pieces of his theory together he grabbed his phone and sent Riley a text.

It read: _Think I'm onto something. Meet me tonight. Same time and place as before._

He set his phone down and waited until it he got a reply.

It was from Riley and it read: _Ok. See you tonight._

Hiro couldn't help but blush and smile goofily as he read the text from his crush. But he shook his head as he got his mind back on track.

* * *

Back at Riley's home the teen took a much needed nap before relaxing the rest of the day. Her mother tried to pry and discover who exactly had called her pretty and made her so happy. Riley refused to say, but Jill had a good guess. She decided not to tell her husband, knowing he'd definitely try to find out who had an apparent interest in Riley.

The evening passed in relative normalcy as Riley ate dinner with her parents and they all talked about their days and other idle topics. Close to around eight Riley said she was turning in early. She went upstair and her parents tucked her in and said goodnight. She laid in bed, staring up at her ceiling until it was quarter past nine and the house was silent.

She got out of bed as silently as she could before going to her closet and donning her Spectrum outfit. She teleported out of her room before heading toward the hotel. As she flew across the city a smile suddenly began to creep its way onto her face.

She knew they were meeting for the purpose of protecting the city and stopping the mysterious supervillain responsible for the Omnidroids' attacks, but the thought of seeing Hiro made her smile for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

She thought back to what he'd told her a few hours ago. When he called her pretty. He was the first boy to ever do so, and it had made her feel such a joy she couldn't describe.

Riley was growing up, learning about the simple pleasures in life like receiving a compliment from a member of the opposite sex. And just knowing that someone out there thought she was pretty made her feel so wonderful inside.

She let out a shout and did a twirl before reaching the hotel. She hovered above the rooftop and descended as Hiro stood there, waiting for her.

"Hey Hiro," she greeted as she landed gingerly on the rooftop.

"Hey Spectrum," Hiro said, already in hero mode.

"So what do you have?" Spectrum asked.

"Ok, so I started thinking, why did the first Omnidroid attack in the middle of the day, and the others at night?" Hiro asked. Spectrum remained silent and stared at him in silence, waiting for him to explain. "And it occurred to me that the reason...is you," he said as he pointed at her.

Spectrum furrowed her brows. "Me?" she asked in question.

"Yes," Hiro said with a nod. "You aren't supposed to be here. For all anyone knew you're supposed to be a hero of Corona. You should be on the other side of the country," he explained.

"But our bad guy doesn't know that you live here. He activates his first Omnidroid, knowing that San Francisco has no superhero to defend it and the local authorities wouldn't be able to stop it. But to his surprise, Spectrum shows up out of nowhere and destroyed it. Spectrum isn't supposed to be here in the first place, but you are. And if you showed up once you might show up again, worse, maybe even Limelight will appear. So he knows he has to proceed carefully."

"So he activates the Omnidroids at night, when they're are less likely to be noticed and start a panic that will alert you to their whereabouts," he finished.

Spectrum thought it over, and found it made a lot of sense. "So what now? Where are the other Omnidroids?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about that. He doesn't want to draw your attention, so he won't have them attack during the day. But until the sun goes down they'd need to hide somewhere out of sight," he proposed. He raised an arm and a holographic display of the city. "So all we need to do is look for any abandoned buildings near the warehouse where the Omnidroids were kept, and using Baymax's scanners we can tell which building have no people in them, a perfect place for the Omnidroids to hide."

"That sounds like a good plan," Spectrum said with a nod. "But I had a thought as well," she said.

"Go on?" Hiro said as he motioned with her hand for him to go ahead.

"Even if it did find a place to hide, once the sun went down and it started moving again, it would need to do so out of sight, right?"

"Yes."

"So how can it get around the city without being seen in the streets, which would be hard since it's a city, even at night," she continued. "How can it do that?" she asked rhetorically.

Hiro arched a brow.

"The subway. It's underground and out of sight. Running all over the city," she pointed out.

Hiro's eyes widened in realization. "Yeah...you're right," he said. A holographic keyboard appeared and he began to type rapidly. "There's even an abandoned one near one of the warehouses. A perfect place to lay low," he said with a nod.

They looked at each and smiled.

"Let's go."

* * *

Half an hour later Hiro, Spectrum, and Baymax were under the streets of San Francisco, heading toward what was an abandoned subway station known as the Eureka station. The tunnel they were walking down was long, dark, and dank. With a minimal amount of light leaking in from the outside.

Spectrum had her hand raised and a small flame was crackling in her palm, acting as a makeshift torchlight. The teens walked closely together, admittedly creeped out by their surroundings. But they steeled their nerves, breathing steadily as they continued on, keeping their eyes out for the Omnidroid.

"You ok Hiro?" Spectrum asked quietly to break the eery silence around them, only broken by the distant sounds of train cars passing by the old station.

"Yeah. You?" he asked.

"I'm good. I've dealt with a lot worse," she said with a nod. Right as she finished her statement she suddenly stopped. Hiro continued on a step before stopping to glance back at Spectrum. He found her frozen on the spot, eyes wide and face pale.

He glanced around, thinking she'd spotted the Omnidroid. But he saw nothing. He looked back to her and then followed the direction of her gaze to find her eyes locked onto a small rat a few feet away.

He glanced back to ehr to find she was still looking right at it. The rat was grooming itself but then looked up at them, attention drawn by the light of the flames. Hiro heard it give off a small, almost discernable squeak.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Spectrum shrieked at the top of her lungs. Next thing Hiro knew she'd leapt up off the ground and into his arms. "It's a rat!" she screamed shrilly. Hiro's eyes widened and he let out a grunt as he struggled to stay upright.

"Make it go away Hiro! Make it go AWAY!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. Hiro felt his airway become constricted as Spectrum flipped out over the tiny rat.

But in Spectrum's mind it may as well have been the size of a poodle.

Her shouting and Hiro's wheezing made the rat scamper off. Spectrum let out a breath as she loosened her grip on Hiro's neck. He drew in a ragged breath, sucking in air.

He looked to Spectrum who was still in his arms. She was looking around frantically for any more rats. Hiro looked at her with a blank face.

"Really? You're afraid of rats? I thought you said you've dealt with worse," he told her.

"Shut up," Spectrum told him weakly as her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

He set her down eventually and they proceeded onward. This time however Spectrum clung to his arm, eyes darting around for on the lookout for rats. Hiro walked stiffly as she clung to his arm. His face was warm and flushed at her close proximity.

"Spectrum, are you ok?" Baymax asked in concern as he detected minor sins of anxiety.

"Yes Baymax," Spectrum answered over her shoulder to the nurse bot.

"To ensure your health, I will now scan you," Baymax said.

"What?" Spectrum squeaked in surprise.

"Baymax do not scan her!" Hiro commanded.

"Scan complete," Baymax said.

"Unbelievable," Hiro said in exasperation.

"I am detecting various signs of anxiety, including an increased heart rate, change in body temperature, and shortness of breath," Baymax said. The nurse bot took a step forward before raising a hand, then he lowered it and gave her a pat on the head. "There, there. It is ok," he told her in an attempt to comfort her.

She managed a small smile and a weak laugh at his efforts, "Thanks Baymax."

They kept going, Spectrum released Hiro's arm but held his hand in comfort. Soon enough they entered the old station. It had two tracks and a low platform with vacant benches. A multitude steel columns held up the ceiling. Steel pipes and wire ran along the roof.

They began to look around for the Omnidroid until the spotted something. They froze on the spot as they made out what looked like a large metal ball resting on the platform.

"There it is," Hiro whispered as he recognized it from the designs. This Omnidroid was the Omnidroid 07. Unlike the last two they'd fought it was perfectly spherical. It was composed of a dark grey metal and had the numbers '07' visible on its surface.

"Now what?" Spectrum whispered.

"Maybe we can destroy it before it wakes up," Hiro offered.

They swallowed before creeping forward as slowly as they could manage. Their hearts were beating loudly in both their ears. Spectrum squeezed Hiro's hand as he led the way. They got closer and closer and still the Omnidroid did not move.

Until it did.

Suddenly from the top of the Omnidroid a head emerged with a green optical sensor. And from its side five long segmented arms ending in four fingered claws. One of them shot out nd Hiro and Spectrum. Spectrum leapt backward, dragging Hiro out of harm's way as the claw stabbed into the ground where they just were.

The Omnidroid pulled its arms in and planted them in the ground, lifting its body up before advancing toward them.

"Baymax!" Hiro called out. Baymax advanced and threw a punch that connected with the surface of the Omnidroid and made it stagger in the opposite direction. The Omnidroid retaliated, swinging its arm at Baymax from the side. Baymax planted his feet as the arm slammed into its side and slid across the floor. He wrestled with the arm as the Omnidroid raised another to strike.

But Spectrum suddenly punched it, sending it rolling across the station and into a tiled wall. The tiled wall cracked and shattered from its impact before the Omnidroid picked itself back up. It swept its gaze over its three opponents, mind processing possible strategies.

Spectrum flew at it with a shout, arm cocked back to strike. The Omnidroid reeled its arms in and collapsed into a ball before rolling out of the way. Spectrum's fist collided against the wall. She growled before flying after it. The Omnidroid rolled away as she pursued before letting its arms out.

It aimed one at Spectrum and shot a clawed hand outward to grab her. Spectrum saw the attack coming and dodged by spinning out of the way. She then wrapped her arms around the leg and swung.

The Omnidroid's feet left the ground as she swung it in a arch and into a metal column. Its legs went slack before it counter attacked. It swung another arm at her from the other side, trying to smash her between its legs. But she vanished in a purple flash before it could do so.

She reappeared off to the side before extending her arms and letting loose arcs of electricity. The arcs struck the robot, but it simply dug its claws into the ground and let the electricity harmlessly pass from it and into the ground.

Baymax closed in from behind and punched it. The Omnidroid stumbled forward as Baymax kept up his assault. But its surface was extremely hard and durable, Baymax's fists hardly doing anything.

It batted Baymax aside but then was hit square in its optical sensor. Hiro held his hand out as the shield bounced back to him. The Omnidroid's optical sensors malfunctioned and it stumbled around, blind.

Spectrum charged it, flying at it in a yellow streak. But before she could hit it another head equipped with an optical sensor sprang out from underneath it. It turned in Spectrum's direction and swatted her away. Spectrum yelped as she was flung into a steel column.

The other optical sensor resumed function. The Omnidroid turned its head around toward it opponents. Spectrum recovered, floating off the ground with her fists clenched and ready to fight. Baymax was also at the ready, a battle stance assumed. Hiro held up the shield in preparation.

The Omnidroid's brain did some calculations, reaching the conclusion that it was at a disadvantage and losing this battle. The limited space was hampering its maneuverability. Realizing this it opted for a change of tactic.

Strategic retreat.

It pulled its arms in and rolled up into a ball. It began to roll away from them before heading toward exit to the old station that would take it to the still functioning subway tunnels. Hiro and Spectrum exchanged a glance before following it. They rushed after it, Hiro jumping onto Baymax's back. The Omnidroid rolled out through the narrow tunnel, edges scraping against the stone walls before finding itself in the tunnels. It began to roll down them with Spectrum, Hiro, and Baymax in pursuit.

The Omnidroid kept on the run, even when the light of a distant train began to approach at startling speed. Hiro and Spectrum both grew worried that the Omnidroid would crash into it. But at the last second it swerved onto the adjacent lane. They did the same, avoiding the train but paling at the sight of light up ahead, the Omnidroid heading right for an exit to the subway tunnel.

The Omidroid rolled out into the open and Hiro and Spectrum could hear the screams of the startled citizens. The two teens emerged soon after to find people fleeing in panic and the Omnidroid waiting for them.

Spectrum vanished before reappearing next to the Omnidroid and throwing a punch that made it stumble to the side. But in doing so it nearly crush a few citizens beneath its bulk. Spectrum gasped and froze, afraid that may inadvertently cause harm to the people around them in a battle with it.

It struck in her hesitation, sending her to the floor with a powerful overhead swing from its leg. It smashed her against the ground and raised an arm up to do it again only for Hiro to slide in front of her downed form. It brought its leg down and struck the shield, doing so over and over in an attempt to crush him, but was unable to as the shield absorbed the brunt force of its attack, channeling them into power.

Spectrum picked herself up and flew upward as it raised an arm up to strike again. She grabbed its leg and tugged it over its head. She lifted it off the ground before swinging it in a wide overhead arc to slam it into the ground.

The ground cracked and shook from the impact. It looked up at Spectrum and extended its arms to attack her. Spectrum dodged, weaving and teleporting out the way of its legs and claws. She flew around it, leading it away from people and it followed.

Hiro saw what she was doing followed. He aimed the shield and hit a button. From its center two bolas shot out, flying at the legs it used for walking and one currently thrashing out at Spectrum. The bolas ensnared two its legs together and Hiro followed up by firing the grappling hook.

The grappling hook wound around the last leg and he pulled. "Baymax!" he shouted, prompting the nursebot to make his way over. Baymax grabbed the line and pulled along with him. The last leg fell out from under it and the Omnidroid went toppling over.

Seeing an opportunity to end the fight Spectrum flew downward, coming to the top of its head. She grabbed the edge and tugged with all her might. With a grunt and a creak of metal she ripped its head off. She tossed it aside before flying inside its body.

Hiro watched, holding the line with Baymax to keep the Omnidroid down. He heard Spectrum causing damage from within, seeing pieces of its internal working coming flying out of the hole where its head had once been. It thrashed and wriggled about, straining against the bolas and line as Spectrum ripped it apart from the inside.

The Omnidroid gave one last twitch before it could no longer function.

Hiro relaxed and released the line as Spectrum exited the Omnidroid. She dropped bits of wire and bolts before looking to him with a proud smile. He smiled back and they rushed toward each other in glee.

They were about to high five in celebration, only for something to suddenly freeze them on the spot. The only thing they could move was their eyes. They shifted them around, finding themselves surrounded by some kind of bluish energy, Baymax too.

Suddenly that energy field moved them, sending them swinging in a wide arch and toward a building. It faded right before impact, allowing Spectrum grab Hiro and use her body to shield him from the full force of the impact.

Baymax in turn was lifted into the air and slammed down into a car.

"Baymax!" Hiro shouted in worry, as he untangled himself from Spectrum. Suddenly he was frozen again, Spectrum too. It raised them into the air before vanishing and dropping them. Spectrum quickly caught Hiro and lowered him to the ground. She scooped him up and carried him as another beam of that energy shot at them. She flew them behind a cover of a car to regain their wits.

"What was that?" Spectrum asked. "I couldn't move at all!" she cried.

"Zero Point Energy," Hiro whispered in shocked realization.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"I'd heard of it, but I didn't think-"

Before Hiro couldn't complete his statement that energy field surrounded the car and hoisted it into the air. They looked up as the car went flying, and then they took note of a figure in the air. A figure hovering in the air with a long hooded cape.

The kids took them in, finding them being held aloft by what looked like jet boots. The man wore a skin tight black suit with white boots and matching gauntlets. His face was obscured by his hood, but he was quite tall, with a rather muscular build and a barrel chest.

"Not bad kid," said the figure from above. "I'm impressed, you know your stuff," what sounded like a male voice said.

"You!" Spectrum shouted up at him. "You're behind all this, aren't you!" she shouted angrily.

The man laughed out loud in amusement. "Guilty," he unashamedly admitted.

Spectrum growled, "I'm taking you down!" she shouted as she flew right at him. This was her chance, defeat the villain, stop all this, and earn her mentor's respect. Nothing was going to stop her.

The man extended a hand and pointed a finger at a nearby SUV. A beam of energy shot out and surrounded the SUV in a Zero Point energy field. With a flick of his finger he sent it flying toward Spectrum.

"Spectrum!" Hiro shouted in warning. But she was too focused on the villain and the SUV crashed into her side and then into a building. He moved it to let Spectrum drop to the ground. Spectrum was still conscious. She pressed a fist into the ground and grit her teeth as she strained to push herself up, only for him to drop the SUV down onto her.

He moved the SUV aside and dropped it and stared down at her unmoving form. He chuckled in satisfaction. "Brat," he said toward her. Then he directed his attention to Hiro.

"I got to say I was surprised, and a little insulted to find my Omnidroids being taken down by a pair of kids. I mean I thought this was going to be easy," he said as he threw his hands up. He began to circled around Hiro, prompting the teen to circle around the other way, shield raised.

"Just activate the secret remote start up sequence for my v.x4 model, let it do my bidding while I kick back, relax, and enjoy the show. Then to my surprise a super shows up," he said, saying the word 'super' with unconcealed contempt. "That kid sidekick of Limelight just swoops in all deus ex machina and destroy my first Omnidroid. Then she does it again, and now," he said as he gestured to the defeated 07 model.

"Again. And my version 07 was one of the good ones," he said, exasperated.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this in the first place?" Hiro asked as he tried to inch his way toward Spectrum.

"Oh you wouldn't know who I am kid. I'm a little before your time. Been out of the game for a while, laying low. But now I'm back, and those Omnidroids belong to _me_. Not in some warehouse of that second rate, no talent inventor, Haddock," he spat. He took a breath and stopped. "But tell ya' what kid, I can see you don't have any powers, so I'll let you go as long as you keep your nose out of my plans."

Hiro arched a brow and glanced towards Spectrum who still wasn't moving.

"Oh but she dies," he said as he caught his gaze flicker toward her. "One less super in the world the better."

Hiro bristled. "Not happening," he said lowly.

"Aw, ain't that cute," the man cooed mockingly. "Trust me kid, supers see everyone who isn't like them as inferior, unworthy of standing beside them," he told Hiro.

Hiro clenched his fists because he knew Riley wasn't like that. Sure at first she treated him like dirt, but once she'd gotten to known him, her entire opinion of him had changed. She'd introduced him to her friends. She'd called him amazing. Looked at him like he'd had superpowers of his own.

Her.

The girl who could fly, fight giants robots several times her size, make fire and electricity out of thin air, and even teleport.

The girl who was the most spectacular girl he'd ever met.

Hiro steeled himself and held his ground, refusing to move. "No," he said.

"You think she cares about you kid, you don't even register on her scope and you never will," he told Hiro. The young teen didn't bother to respond.

The man stared at him before releasing a sigh. He gave an apathetic shrug. "Oh well. I tried," he said. Hiro saw him tense to move but he beat him to it. He hit the switch on the underside of the shield. It transformed into its crossbow form and he raised it up and took aim. He held it on his right arm this time, for if he did it with his left again it was sure to break.

The kinetic energy stored from the Omnidroids blows was diverted to the shield's energy weapon. Hiro stood firm and then it fired.

The purplish blue beam of energy shot outward and at the man. He tensed and prepared to leap clear, only for it to miss, flying harmlessly by him. He glanced back to follow its path, only to find a car on his side a few feet away from him with its gas tank visible.

The beam hit it and the car exploded in a great fiery explosion. Smoke rose into the air from it remained as it burned away. From the smoke the man emerged, boots on his feet keeping him aloft. He looked around to find Hiro, Spectrum, and Baymax all gone.

He grunted in annoyance, but after a moment he chuckled. "Clever boy," he couldn't help but mutter to himself, impressed. "Kid reminds me of me."

* * *

"Spectrum! Spectrum! Riley!"

Riley' eyes snapped open and she sat up with a gasp. She turned her head to and fro to find she wasn't where she'd been before. She was on top of a building somewhere. She glanced around before her eyes fell onto Hiro. He gave her a happy smile.

"Glad you're ok," he said.

"What happened?" Riley asked, memory fuzzy.

"Well we ran into the villain, and he sort of took you out," he told her. "I had Baymax scan you. Some scrapes and bruises, but your otherwise fine," he told her.

Riley's brows creased before she remembered. She slapped her forehead before sitting up. "Let's go after him. We end this tonight," she said with narrowed eyes and determination.

"Wish I could," Hiro said. Riley looked to him. "While Baymax did manage to get a scan of the bad guy they got a little damaged during the fight. I need to make some repairs tomorrow," he said sheepishly. He suddenly winced in pain, left arm coming to rub at his right elbow.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Riley asked in concern.

"Had to use the shield again. Arm's a little sore," he explained.

"Oh my gosh Hiro," she cried. She came closer and reached her hands out only to stop them midway. "Are you ok?" she asked tentatively, concerned for his well being.

"I will be," he said with a nod.

They fell silent, their loss weighing on them both. "So what now?" Riley asked.

"Like I said. I'll fix Baymax's scanners tomorrow, and then we go after him," Hiro said. He looked to her, eyes narrowed, "We can still do this. I know we can," he told her as he held her gaze.

She looked into his eyes before matching his look. "Yeah," she said with a confident nod.

"You should probably head home. It's past midnight by now," he told her. She nodded before making to leave, but she stopped before flying off. She turned around and threw her arms around Hiro in a sudden embrace.

Hiro stiffened up awkwardly at the sudden contact.

"Thanks Hiro. You're an awesome friend," she whispered to him sincerely. She pulled away and gave him a smile before releasing him. Then she began to float in the air before turning away and flying off toward home.

Hiro ruffled the back of his hair bashfully as she flew off. Then he let out a sigh. They'd gotten lucky tonight. But they'd been partially successful. They'd destroyed the Omnidroid and Baymax now had a scan of the one they'd been looking for.

He'd fix his scanners tomorrow and then he and his plans were finished.

Hiro looked out over the city in thought as he thought about the man's words. He claimed that the Omnidroids were his, and he'd known about their model numbers. Not to mention he said it was indeed him who'd turned them on using some kind of secret activation sequence.

With all this new information, and assuming that man hadn't been lying, it could only logically be one person.

"Syndy," Hiro muttered lowly. "No wait...Syndome?" he muttered to himself as she struggled to recollect.

"Oh yeah... _Syndrome_."

* * *

 **new chap.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Battle at the Bridge**

The next day Hiro tried to find out everything he could about Syndrome. But besides what he could find on news sites, there wasn't much to say. He was a villain that had been linked to the attack on the city a Metroville a few years back that ultimately led to the repealing of the Superhero Relocation Act, thus allowing superheroes, both the old and the new, to return to their duties.

Hiro hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. The man had no powers of his own it seemed. But he more than made up for it in intelligence, his Omnidroid and Zero Point energy fields proving that. But what Hiro found a little more curious was why was he doing this? He hadn't had much experience with supervillains, but the one he had fought was out for vengeance. Syndrome however just seemed to hate supers, evident in how determined he was on killing Riley, but not so much Hiro himself.

And what was his plan? All the Omnidroids in the city were either destroyed or running loose. So now what was his primary goal? Hiro scratched his head in thought. He let out a breath and got ready for work. However he activated Baymax. He had to fix his scanners.

He made his way out of the hotel and across the street to the Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp building before heading inside. People couldn't help but stare at Baymax following him around, but he ignored them as he made straight for the labs.

Just when the door to the engineering and robotics labs were in sight he was finally stopped.

"Hiro!" came an unwelcome interference. Hiro stopped and turned to look back at Dave. The head of the San Francisco branch had his arms crossed over his chest and a rather stern look on his face. He slowly approached, walking straight up to Hiro and opening his mouth to speak before glancing at Baymax.

"What's this?" he asked curiously.

"Hello. I am Baymax," Baymax said with a wave of his hand.

"This is my robot, Baymax. I was hoping to use the labs to fix him up a bit," Hiro explained.

"Huh. Looks like a marshmallow," Dave commented. Then he looked to Hiro, face in business mode. "Hiro, I am very disappointed that you didn't show up to work yesterday. Do you know how many of the other interns were forced to give tours to make up your slack?"

Hiro had to suppress the urge to bristle in indignation. So finally some of the other interns were getting the grunt work and that was a bad thing? "I'm sorry Dave. Needed to catch up on school work, had trouble sleeping and all, you know, after I nearly died," Hiro reminded him, hoping he could milk the first Omnidroid's attack one last time.

Dave shut his eyes and took a breath. "Ok. I can see that," he relented. "But here's a little lesson for you Hiro...YOLO."

"YOLO?"

"You only live once. So you can't let one tiny near death experience bring ya down dog," Dave said, trying to sound cool. "I'll let your little day of hookie slide, but you need to get with the program H-man."

"Ok Dave. I understand. I'm sorry for not at least calling in," Hiro conceded.

"Good man. Now you're going to have to make up for all those tours you missed yesterday so-"

"Dave. I can't do tours today," Hiro interrupted.

"Come again."

"I need some lab time Dave. That's what I signed up for. That's what I was promised," Hiro argued. "I get that tours and I.T. work is important, but can't someone else do it?"

"I hear you big man, but I have a tour group coming in in about ten minutes and I need you down there. So for now let's put-"

"No more pins!" Hiro interrupted loudly. Dave flinched in surprise. "Everytime you say we'll put a pin in it nothing changes! I'm sick of doing all this grunt work. I know I'm young, younger than any of the other interns. But I'm a college student too. And I'm probably smarter than any of them anyway. All I want is a chance to prove it!" Hiro cried. He hadn't meant to raise his voice, but he was his limits.

"I don't know where this attitude is coming from Hiro," Dave began, completely ignoring what Hiro was trying to say. "But if you aren't going to get on board...well then maybe-"

Before Dave could finish his statement Baymax cut in with a sudden, "Oh no."

Hiro glanced back to the nursebot to find him looking out the glass window lining the building's side. Dave did the same before the two of them followed his gaze. Their eyes widened in surprise as they landed on the figure hovering in midair just outside.

Hiro's stomach dropped in panic as the man raised an arm, from his gauntlet a blast of energy shot out. Hiro and Dave leapt away from the window pane, with Hiro throwing himself into Baymax as it exploded, sending glass shards flying into the hall.

Hiro was sprawled out on the ground with Baymax as the man came inside, landing on the floor. He looked to Hiro from underneath the dark recesses of his hood. Hiro froze, fearing he'd be recognized.

"Run along now kid," the man said before turning his attention to Dave. "Got to have a little meeting with your boss," he said dangerously. Dave reeled backwards on the ground as Syndrome began to advance on him.

He let out a cry in fear as he picked himself and turned tail to flee.

"Whoa," Syndrome shouted as he pointed his index finger at him. A moment later a beam of Zero Point energy shot out and surrounded Dave, freezing him midstep. "Where do you think you're going boss man? You and I need to have a little chat," Syndrome said lowly. With a flick of his finger he flung Dave into a wall.

As Dave sagged against it Syndrome advanced, bending down to grab him by the front of his suit before shooting another window pane. Then he flew out, his jet boots carrying him into the air and out over the city while Dave let out a terrified wail that could be heard in the distance.

Hiro got up and stared out at Syndrome and Dave getting further and further away. He followed the direction he was heading, guessing the destination, "The Golden Gate Bridge," he whispered. He ran back to Baymax and began to drag him along, to the lobby, out of the building, across the street, to the hotel, to his room and finally up to the roof.

He quickly began to put on his gear while grabbing his cell phone and calling up Riley. She didn't answer, so he guessed she was in the middle of class. He cursed the unfortunate timing before leaving her a voicemail and sending her a text for good measure.

He hoped she'd receive them and come to help before focusing his attention on outfitting Baymax with his armor. Once they were both set he grabbed the shield and looped the strap across his chest so it rested against his back.

Then he jumped onto Baymax's back. "Let's go Baymax. To the Golden Gate Bridge," he commanded. Baymax's wings sprang out and the thrusters on his feet activated before they rocketed into the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Golden Gate Bridge, or more accurately above it, Dave screamed for his life as Syndrome held him in the sky by the front of his suit. He pleaded and begged for his life, fearing for his life as he spied the passing vehicles and the hard surface waiting for him below.

"Alright Dave, unless you want to have an unfortunate meeting with the ground I suggest you start talking," Syndrome began. "Your boss, that subpar scientist Haddock, has acquired a few of my possessions. And I want to know where they are."

"I'll tell you anything! Just don't drop me!" Dave cried.

Syndrome chuckled, "Good man."

So Syndrome began his interrogation, learning about the whereabout of some of his other inventions acquired by Haddock Industries. But there was one last thing he wanted to know.

"Last question. Where's the Omnidroid 10?" he asked.

"I don't know!" Dave cried.

"Come on now Dave. You've been pretty cooperative up until now, don't make me have to do something I definitely won't regret," he warned. He acted like he was going to drop him, frightening Dave to cry out.

"Wait! I'll talk!" he cried. "Japan. Last I heard it was dismantled and stored in a facility in Japan!"

Syndrome hummed. "Alright then," he said. He suddenly spied something approaching swiftly from the direction of the city. He narrowed his eyes as he recognized it. "Well look who it is," he muttered as he made out Hiro and Baymax flying toward him. He drifted over to one of the bridge's towers before dropping him down onto one, "There you go. Deal's a deal."

He gave Dave a mocking salute two fingered salute as before turning in the direction of his rapidly approaching adversary. "Alright kid. You wanna play the hero so badly? Let's see how you hold up," he whispered as he pressed a button on one of his gauntlets.

Hiro narrowed his eyes, making out Syndrome hovering over the bridge in the distance. Baymax flew over to him before stopping to hover a few meters away.

"We meet again kid. I gotta say I'm impressed. That little distraction with the shield and the car, then pulling a houdini on me and disappearing. Good stuff," Syndrome said with a laugh.

"What are you planning Syndrome? And where's the hostage?" Hiro demanded.

"Oh don't worry. He's fine," Syndrome stated as he jerked a thumb backwards. Hiro peered past him and spotted Dave on a tower, on all fours, and quivering at the sheer height at which he was, but alive.

"Now what you should be worrying about are the screams that we should be hearing in about...3...2...1."

And suddenly Hiro could hear a loud scream coming from below. He saw people getting out of their cars and fleeing as robots began crawling up from under the bridge and onto it. These robots were all bipedal. They came in different sizes and forms, and there were so many of them.

"So what its going to be hero?" Syndrome asked tauntingly. "Take down the bad guy or save the people?"

Hiro looked at Syndrome with a glare, causing him to chuckle in amusement. "Baymax, let's help those people," Hiro told his partner. Baymax did as told, flying down to engage the enemy robots.

"Good choice," Syndrome said with a smirk. With that he decided to kick back and enjoy the show while seeing what his young adversary was made of.

* * *

At Riley's school the young teen was anxiously awaiting the end of class. She'd felt her phone vibrate, but was in the middle of a test and unable to check who it was. But she had a guess. She stared at the clock, trying to will time to go faster.

Finally the bell rang. Riley was the first out the door. As soon as she was in the hall she checked her phone and found it was indeed Hiro who had called her. He'd left her a voicemail and a text, alerting her to Syndrome's appearance and his location on the Golden Gate Bridge. Riley narrowed her eyes before ducking into the first bathroom she found.

She went to a stall and vanished, teleporting to the school's roof. She began to pull her shirt off to reveal her costume she'd worn underneath just in case something like this happened. After pulling off her normal clothes she opened backpack to pull out her scarf. She wrapped it around her neck and tightened it before reaching into her backpack once more to pull out her mask. She placed it on before stuffing her clothes into the backpack and shoving it behind an airconditioning unit.

Then she took a running start before taking to the air and shooting off toward the Golden Gate bridge.

* * *

Back on the bridge, Hiro and Baymax were doing what they could to stop the robots from attacking the citizens. The robots were all big, taller and bulkier than Baymax and in several different varieties. They all seemed to be reminiscent of the Omnidroid models. One was about the size of Baymax, with two legs and long segmented arms ending in clamping claws that were attached to a cylindrical body, topped with a head with a blue optical scanner. Another type was slightly bigger than the ones before, and almost identical in design save for bladed segmented arms and sharp scissor like hands. Then there was another kind, slightly bigger and shaped like a canister, with arms that were like cannons, shooting missiles and streams of fire.

Then lastly there were the huge, 15 foot tall machines with domed shaped heads, and heavy, bulky bodies and arms ending in powerful bludgeon like hands. Worse they also were capable of firing a red beam of energy from their optical visor.

Hiro and Baymax were struggling. The nursebot was doing his best to defend himself and his companion, using his martial arts moves to keep them back and destroy them. But when one fell, it seemed as if two more were there to take its place.

Hiro had abandoned his position on Baymax's back so he could cover him from behind. He blocked strikes and missiles with his shield, thankful for its unique properties but frustrated that he'd run out of bolas to use it with. And he couldn't use the cannon weapon, not unless he wanted to break both of his already sprained arms.

He growled in frustration as he tried to come up with a plan, only for all the robots to suddenly stop and back away. He and Baymax blanched in confusion as they backed up, forming a circle around him.

"Alright, time out!" came a voice from above. Hiro looked up and saw Syndrome descending. The villain landed in the circle before looking to Hiro. "Like my robots?" he asked as he spread his arms to gesture at his machines.

"Yeah. My new Omnidroid models. They're not quite as sophisticated as my other versions, but you make do with what ya got," he said with a shrug. "I like your robot too...what is that...carbon fiber armor?" he asked. Hiro remained silent. "Not bad," Syndrome said, mildly impressed.

"You know you aren't half bad kid," Syndrome said as he began walking a circle around Hiro. Hiro and Baymax turned as he went, keeping him well within their sights. "You remind me of...well me. I tried the whole superhero thing when I was about your age. Didn't work out," he said with a shrug and sigh.

"But like you, I was really smart," he said as he raised a hand up and touched the side of his hooded head. "Started building weapons, earning respect, gaining power with my talents, _my_ gifts."

"Ya see kid, I just want a world where _everyone_ is super. Even people like you and me," he said as he pointed to Hiro and then himself. "A world where you and I are special, even among gods and superhumans. A world where you and I can be true to ourselves," he revealed. He suddenly stopped and extended a hand toward Hiro.

"So how about you join me kid?"

Hiro flinched in shock, hardly believing what he was hearing. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I could always use a sidekick," he said with a nod. "C'mon kid, it'll be great. You got talent, you're just on the wrong side," he told him. "You like these right?" he said as he gestured to one of his gauntlets, he suddenly pointed back. The Omnidroids made a path as he pointed at a car. A beam of Zero Point energy shot out and enveloped it in the energy field.

He pointed upward, holding the car in the air above all of them. "I mean look at that. Seriously, how cool is that?" he said as he motioned up at the car. "I can show you how I make them. You'd like that right?"

"So. What will it be kid?" Syndrome asked as he sent the car flying. Hiro didn't respond. He raised his shield up as Baymax assumed a battle stance. "Fine then," Syndrome said lowly as he took his silence as an answer.

"You want to be a hero? Then die a hero's death," he said as he pressed a button on his gauntlet. He took to the air as the Omnidroid began to advance again. Hiro and Baymax prepared themselves.

Hiro stared down an Omnidroid with the scissor like hands. They opened and closed rapidly, razor sharp edges gleaming as it stared at him with its red optical sensor. Hiro raised his shield as its arm bent back to strike.

Only for a yellow streak to descend on it, driving it into the ground. Hiro turned away from the scattered up pieces of pavement and dust before looking back to see Spectrum, standing over the crushed remains of the Omnidroid.

"Hey Hiro. How you doing?" she quipped jokingly.

Hiro managed a smile and a chuckle. "Better now that you're here," he told her.

She smiled at him before glancing around at the advancing Omnidroids. She raised her arms up, letting them hang at her sides before she began to spin. She became like a yellow whirlwind as she began to circle Baymax and Hiro.

She forced the Omnidroid's back, crashing into them and sending them flying and giving Baymax and Hiro some much needed breathing room. With her comrades now free to move she stopped spinning and began attacking.

She raised her hand up, letting our arcs of electricity that struck the Omnidroids. They twitched, robotic limbs spasming as they malfunctioned, circuity fried. An Omnidroid with long range capabilities fired two missiles at her. Spectrum saw them coming and teleported. She reappeared behind them and she willed her scarf to extend. The ends lengthened and curled around the missiles before she threw them, sending them flying into a group of others and blowing them up.

More started to come at her, lashing out with claws, scissor hands, and huge bludgeon like fists. But Spectrum was fast enough to keep up, powerful to send them flying with a single punch, and durable enough to take a hit. And it helped that she had backup.

Baymax and Hiro assisted her, Hiro defending and giving Baymax a chance to strike. Baymax struck hard, throwing powerful punches that dented armor, or sent them staggering away. His combat skills allowed him to block and counterattack, throwing chops and kicks that took their limbs clean off.

But there were just so many of them.

Spectrum kicked away one shooting fire at her only to hear the heavy footsteps of one of the giant ones. It towered over her, optic visor glowing as it prepared to fire its laser. But before it could something flew by her and collided with it. It teetered off balance, laser firing and cutting through its allies as it struggled to regain balance.

Spectrum glanced back as one of Baymax's fist flew back and reattached to him.

"Spectrum! Get Syndrome!" Hiro shouted to her. "He has a remote in his gauntlet that controls the robots. We get that, we can turn them all off at once!" he shouted to her.

Spectrum glanced upward, spying Syndrome watching from the air. After the way he'd taken her out last time she was eager for a rematch. She looked to Hiro and nodded before flying upward. She didn't like having to leave him to hold off the Omnidroids, but she trusted him. He was resourceful, intelligent, and one of the most amazing people she'd ever met.

She flew at Syndrome, stopping to hover a few feet in front of him. She glared at him as he crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly nonplussed by her.

"I'm taking you down Syndrome!" she shouted at him.

He had the gall to laugh like she'd said something funny. "Sure you are kid. Now maybe if Limelight were here, but you? Her kid sidekick," he said tauntingly. She bristled in rage.

"You should quit this hero gigue while you got the chance kid. Before you come to harsh, bitter truth that I did...you can't count on anyone. Especially your heroes," he told her.

Having had enough Spectrum raised a hand up to let loose some of her flames. But Syndrome was quicker.

"Ah ah ah!" he called as he pointed a finger at her and trapped her in the field of Zero Point energy. "None of that thank you very much," he said as he swung her around and toward one of the bridge towers. The field dropped as she drew nearer and she crashed into it. She rubbed her head, before glancing back.

Time to change strategies.

Before Syndrome could get her again she vanished in a purple flash. Syndrome froze, not sure what to do when she reappeared behind him. She shot a fireball at him. He heard the crackle of the flames and whirled around just in time to dodge it with a cry of alarm. He growled before pointing a finger at her. But she vanished again.

She reappeared at his side, throwing a kick to his side that sent him hurtling through the air in the opposite direction. He groaned, rubbing at the spot she'd hit before turning to face her. But she vanished in a purple flash before he could do anything.

She reappeared and shot out arcs of electricity. Then she vanished, reappeared, let loose more electricity, and did it all over again.

Syndrome couldn't keep up, couldn't get a beat on her. He tried over and over to zap her. But she was gone before he could get a lock. He grew frustrated, growling as she kept him off balance. He yelped and screamed as he narrowly avoided getting hit with a fireball or zapped by an electric shock.

He was losing, her powers were giving her the edge, as much as he hated to admit it. She suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed his cape. His eyes widened as she pulled and spun him in a circle before letting him fly. He flew through the air uncontrollably, letting out a long scream before colliding with one of the main support cables running along either side of the bridge. He'd ended up partway curled around it. He pounded a fist against it in anger before looking back at her.

He had to throw her off. He looked around, finding cars below. He pushed away from the cable to hover before pointing downward. He picked up to cars with his beams of Zero Point energy and brought them up, trying to use them to swat her out of the air. But she dodged or simply batted them away. One she caught before hurling it at him.

He caught it with his gauntlet before flinging it back. She simply jerked out of the way as it sailed on by.

He glanced down to the bridge below before his eyes fell onto a new target. He grinned wickedly before pointing a hand at it. He picked it up with his energy field as Spectrum glanced over to see what it was.

She gasped, finding it to be a bus full of people. They'd almost made it off the bridge, but not in time. With a wave of his finger Syndrome moved it over to the edge of the bridge before placing it halfway over. He dropped the field, and gravity took over as the bus began to teeter over the edge.

"No!" Spectrum shouted as she flew down to it as fast as she could. It was about to go over she she reached it, hands bending the metal frame as she gripped it and tugged with all her might to get it back onto the bridge.

But it was heavy. Too heavy. Nearly twenty tons of metal plus the people inside. Her feet began to slide across the pavement as she grit her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and grunted with effort to pull it back onto the bridge.

"Oh no, what to do!" Syndrome crowed evilly as he watched Spectrum struggle. "The dilemma of the hero. What's more important, stopping the villain, or protecting the bystanders?" he asked her, taking pleasure in watching her struggle.

"That's a fully loaded bus hero. You let it go and people will probably die from the fall. Physics and gravity, what can you do?" he said with a shrug.

"Well I'll leave you to it while I go make sure your friend is finished off," he said with a mocking salute in goodbye.

Spectrum looked to him as he turned his back on her and began to fly back toward Hiro.

Syndrome smiled evilly as he spied Hiro and Baymax, fighting off his hordes of Omnidroids.

"Alright, let's bring out the big gun," he said as he pressed another button on his gauntlet. Down below Hiro and Baymax continued to battle the Omnidroids. They were doing well, holding out while hoping Spectrum could defeat Syndrome.

One of the big ones fired a laser beam at Baymax. Hiro dashed over and raised the shield to block. The laser beam, was reflected by the shimmering surface of the shield. And struck with inspiration, Hiro angled it, letting the beam cut through and destroy a horde of them before redirecting back at the one firing. A hole was melted through it and it exploded.

Hiro pumped a fist in victory.

But then he noticed the faint fumbling beneath his feet. It seemed to be getting louder and stronger, and he could hear the sound of metal being flattened as something huge approached.

"Baymax wings!" Hiro shouted. Baymax's wings sprang out and Hiro leapt onto his back. Baymax took to the air, only to suddenly be grabbed by a giant four clawed hand. Hiro glanced back to come face to face with the biggest Omnidroid yet.

This one was tall as a two story building. It had the same spherical design as the Omnidroid 07 they'd fought the night before, and he recognized it as the Omnidroid v.X9.

The Omnidroid lifted them up before tossing them away. They went sailing through the air before managing to right themselves and hover to get a look at the situation. There were still a lot of the smaller Omnidroids left, then the v.X9, and then Syndrome himself.

"You're done now kid," Syndrome called out as he came to hover just above the v.X9. "This one here could beat Mr. Incredible himself. You two half pint heroes don't stand a chance," he told him.

Hiro glanced over his shoulder, finding Spectrum distracted, struggling to keep a bus from plummeting off the bridge. He cursed silently, knowing there was no way Syndrome was going to let him help her. He racked his brain for a plan, whilst knowing they could certainly use a miracle.

Spectrum felt the bus sliding further and further. Her grip was firm, but her ground giving as she slid across the pavement. She took deep breath, sweat forming on her brow as she struggled to concentrate.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this," she muttered to herself repeatedly. She gathered her will power, squeezing the frame of the bus as she looped her scarf under its back axle. She counted to three before pulling with all her might.

And to her shock and surprise the bus suddenly felt like it were weightless. She watched it rise and rise, until it suddenly rose right up out of her hands. That's when she realized she hadn't lifted the bus at all.

Syndrome glanced over to Spectrum as he spied the bus being lifted back onto the bridge. Hiro glanced back too, eyes widening in surprise and awe.

Spectrum's eyes narrowed. "What are _you_ doing here!?" she shouted at the person holding the bus above her head.

Limelight ignored her protege's outburst as she drifted over the bridge and set the bus down. She gave the side a hard pat, signaling the driver that they should go while they could. She took a moment to survey the scene. She spotted the army of robots, plus the bigger robot, then there was a guy in black and white hovering over the robots that she assumed was the bad guy. Lastly there was yet another robot with a person on its back...she wasn't sure how he was involved.

She sucked in an annoyed breath as she thought back to conversation she'd had with Hiccup about two hours ago.

* * *

 **Flashback**

 _Two hours earlier…_

It was the early evening in London as Rapunzel enjoyed herself, lounging in her room after a long day of shooting. It felt divine to soak in her warm bath, soothed by the scented oils and candles after spending all day posing, being stuffed into clothing, and having to deal with some of the other models with bad attitudes who judged her everytime she so much as looked at food. But all in all it'd gone smoothly, the photographer assuring her that she looked wonderful and they'd gotten great shots.

Suddenly her communicator rang. She wanted to ignore it, but since it was her communicator and not her cell, knew that it was likely urgent. She took a hand off the edges of the tub and picked it up, hitting the answer icon and placing it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rapunzel, how's London?" Hiccup asked.

"Same old same old. What's up Hiccup?" she asked curiously.

"Well there's been a series of thefts at some of my warehouses in San Francisco, and it appears your protege is involved."

Rapunzel sat up, eyes wide. "Riley? She's going out as Spectrum?" she asked.

"Yep. Someone posted a video online of her fighting a giant robot," he said.

Rapunzel shut her eyes and groaned. Her apprentice knew she wasn't supposed to do hero stuff without her. Or she should have at least called her if it couldn't be helped.

"Anyway, I was hoping you could look into it. I'd go myself, but Night Fury showing up in San Francisco to investigate the robberies of Haddock Tech warehouses might raise questions as to why he's so interested in Haddock Tech's properties. But Limelight showing up to back up her apprentice, less questions."

Seeing his reasoning she relented with a sigh. "I'm on it," she said before hanging up. She stepped out of the tub and dried off before going to her room. She dug through her closet before pulling out a small briefcase.

The briefcase was special, only opening with her fingerprints. After scanning them it opened with a click, revealing her supersuit inside. She slipped it on, donning her Limelight outfit and activating her powers before going to the window of her hotel and opening it. She shot out and flew straight up before heading out toward the ocean.

Once she was over it she put on speed, breaking the sound barrier with a loud ear splitting crash as she made way for San Francisco.

* * *

"Got a call from Night Fury, said you've been getting into some trouble while I've been away," Limelight said evenly as she finally turned her attention down to her protege. "You know when I said you can call me if you needed me? Yeah, this would be one of those times when you call me," she told her sternly.

"Well maybe I didn't need you!" Spectrum shot back.

Limelight blinked, taken aback by her sidekick's back talk. "Oh, so you didn't need me?" she asked as she gestured around at the situation.

"No. No, I didn't!" Spectrum said back.

Limelight narrowed her eyes at her. She turned away from her before taking a step toward the robots army and villain. "Keep the civilians back. I'll-"

Suddenly Spectrum was in front of her. "Maybe you should keep the civilians back! I'm taking down this bad guy!" she told her with narrowed eyes.

And then they began to argue. Hiro and Syndrome blanched, both stunned to see Limelight appear and then stupefied that her appearance was followed by a subsequent argument with her sidekick.

Hiro directed Baymax over to them both. He jumped off Baymax's back and stood at their sides awkwardly as they continued to argue.

"You always do this! You always sideline me like I'm some kid!"

"You're being dramatic! Besides, the civilians are always priority."

"Well then why don't you keep them back and I'll fight the villain!"

"Uhh... if I could just say something," Hiro chimed in.

Limelight looked to him with glowing golden eyes that were narrowed. He stiffened up in fear of her gaze.

"I don't know who are you, or how you're involved, but stay out of this," she told him.

"Yeah, got it," Hiro said as he clamped his mouth shut.

"Don't talk to him like that! He's my friend!" Spectrum said in Hiro's defense, which started another line of arguing.

Syndrome, who'd overcome his surprise hit a button on his gauntlet, directing the v.X9 to attack. The Omnidroid advanced toward them, but the female heroes were too engrossed in their argument to notice.

Hiro did however. "Uh guys. Giant robot," Hiro said as he pointed at the advancing Omnidroid. "Coming this way," he said as he began pointing at it frantically as they continued to argue. "Guys! More pressing matters!"

The Omnidroid suddenly bent its legs and leapt into the air, intent on crushing them all under its bulk.

"Oh man!" Hiro said as he ran to Baymax and grabbed him before running clear.

But Spectrum and Limelight hadn't moved. They remained on the spot and continued to argue as the Omnidroid fell down on them. Hiro shut his eyes and looked away as the Omnidroid fell. But there was no crash of shaking ground signalling its collision with the ground.

He peeked an eye open to see both heroines had their hands raised, and they'd caught the Omnidroid before it could crush them. What's more, they were still arguing.

"I'm not just some kid!" Spectrum shouted. "I've taken down three of these giant robots on my own, I've helped save the world, what more do I have to do for you to trust me?"

"Your 13 Spectrum. So yeah, you kind of are," Limelight told her.

With grunt of effort the heroines suddenly threw the Omnidroid back toward Syndrome. He screamed in alarm as it came flying at him before jerking out of the way. The Omnidroid crashed into the surface of the bridge before coming to a rolling stop a few hundred yards away.

Syndrome growled as he sent his other Omnidroid at the heroines. The army began to advance, the heroines glanced over before Limelight's hair began to glow and move. A few locks extended and wrapped around Spectrum's waist before Limelight began to hover off the ground and then began to spinning in a circle.

She spun, getting faster and faster until she was like a golden tornado. And Spectrum disappeared as well, becoming a yellow orb circling the golden tornado that was her mentor. Then Limelight surged toward the robots.

Spectrum became like a wrecking ball, smashing into the Omnidroids and sending them flying backwards in pieces.

Hiro watched on in amazement, stunned at the sight of mentor and protege working together.

Limelight stopped spinning, both her and her protege becoming visible again as the next wave of Omnidroid, these comprised of the bigger versions bared down on them.

Spectrum's scarf extended, wrapping around Limelight's waist before she began to spin. The maneuver they'd done before was repeated, only backward, with Spectrum as the tornado in the center and Limelight as the wrecking ball on the end.

Limelight's golden form sent the Omnidroids flying away. Ripping right through the tough armor and decimating their numbers in mere moments.

They stopped spinning as a singular line of the Omnidroid's continued to march on them.

"But I'm not just some kid. You've trained me. If you're not going to trust that I can take care of myself, why do it at all?" Spectrum asked.

"I do trust you Spectrum," Limelight said. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I just worry," she told her. She let out a breath as she stared out at the advancing machines. "When you were attacked by the Giant and knocked out, I was scared for you," she admitted.

She recounted the incident a few weeks back when she wasn't there to protect her apprentice from the Giant's rampage. Spectrum had been hurt, and she was forced to sit with her as she remained unconscious, fearful that she may never wake up. Those was one of the most dreadful moments of her life. She agonized over what she might have had to tell the girl's parents if she hadn't woken up. She tortured herself on failing to protect her.

"So I'm sorry if I get a little overprotective. But if me wanting to keep you safe means I have to sideline you every now and then...well too bad," Limelight told her.

Spectrum pressed her lips together, will to fight fading at the concern for her wellbeing displayed by her mentor.

"But…" Limelight said. Spectrum cocked her head to the side. "You're somewhat right. Maybe I am too overbearing sometimes. I remember someone else doing that to me along time ago and I remember how it made me feel," she said as she recounted her childhood with Gothel. She remembered how the old witch always made her feel as if she could never do anything by herself, never be anymore than she tried to make her be. Never let her branch out and grow.

"I promise I'll try to loosen up a bit from now on. It won't be easy. But I'll try," she conceded. She looked to her, "But can you promise me you'll tell me when you need help, and try to understand that I'm as new to this whole sidekick thing as you are?"

Spectrum blinked, surprised, and happy that her mentor was being so understanding. Maybe if she'd actually talked to her instead of pouting about it...they could have come to this compromise sooner.

"Ok," Spectrum said with a nod.

Limelight smiled. "Now let's show them a fast ball," she said. Spectrum smiled. She tucked her limbs in and curled up into a ball. Limelight grabbed a fistful of her super suit around her lower back. "Give it some heat," she said.

Spectrum's form suddenly burst into flames, becoming hotter and hotter, but Limelight didn't let go, seemingly unbothered by their heat. The Omnidroids kept advancing as Limelight backed up a few steps. Then she lifted a leg up, her toes pointing straight into the air as she wound her arm back like a professional pitcher.

Then with a shout she threw her sidekick with all her might. There was a loud boom as Spectrum form flew like a flaming comet through the air. She broke the sound barrier, flames burning and crackling, spinning as she went before she hit the first Omnidroid.

She ripped through it, leaving a scorched melted hole in its chest as she kept going. She did it again and again. Barely losing speed as she ripped and melted chunks of the Omnidroid's away.

Syndrome watched as she destroyed all of them in one go.

Hiro's mouth fell open as he watched Spectrum rip through all the remaining Omnidroids. They all exploded in a great at fiery flash. A moment later Spectrum reappeared at her mentor's side, where she belonged. She smiled proudly up at her mentor as Limelight gave her a smile back.

Heavy footsteps drew their attention to the Omnidroid v.X9, which was back up and ready to battle once again.

"It's big," Spectrum commented as she looked it up and down.

"Meh," Limelight said with a shrug. She smirked at her apprentice, who grinned back, reading her mind and knowing what she was going to say. Limelight held a confident smile, and Spectrum couldn't help but draw strength from it. When she was around, watching over her, fighting alongside her, she felt as if she could do anything.

"We've fought worse."

* * *

 **new chap.**

 **Limelight shows up! Thought they could use a little help.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Not just kids**

Limelight and Spectrum stood side by side as they stared down the Omnidroid slowly stomping its way towards them. Hiro on the other hand stood back a few feet, gaping at their turned backs. In no time at all they'd destroyed the smaller Omnidroids. Together, they tossed the big one away like it were nothing. And now, they stood there, completely unafraid of the giant robot, big enough to flatten cars under it's feet and make the bridge shake with every step.

The Omnidroid stopped a few feet away, optical scanner directed downward and at them. Heroine and sidekick stared up at it in silence and waited. Then its arm shot out, claw open to grab at them. Spectrum teleported away while Limelight used her superhuman speed to blur over to its body in a golden flash. She cocked back a fist and threw a punch. She hit it in the side, sending it flying with a powerful blow.

It hit the ground and rolled to a stop before picking itself back up. Limelight flapped her hand around. "That's some thick armor," Limelight said quietly. Usually her punches could at least dent the most impervious of armor.

The Omnidroid raised its arm before taking swing at her from the side. Limelight watched the arm come toward her, but before it could reach her a yellow blur shot down and tackled it to the ground.

Spectrum grit her teeth as she kept the clawed hand pinned down with her strength. But she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold it down for long.

Luckily, she and her mentor didn't mean to speak.

Limelight dropped down and threw a downward chop. Her hand smashed into the segmented leg, driving it into the floor and managing to dent the metal frame. It appeared the armor was less durable on its legs. She stored that tidbit away as she raised her hand up and did it again, and again, until her chops tore through the segmented leg and then with a grunt Spectrum pulled and tore the claw away from it.

She threw it behind her and watched with her mentor as the Omnidroid pulled its arm in to examine. The end of its leg ended in exposed wires and frayed metal. It turned its attention back to the heroines.

Hiro all the while stood back, not sure how to help or if he was even needed given Limelight's sheer power and how well she worked alongside Spectrum.

The Omnidroid swung an arm out, hitting a few cars and sending them flying toward Spectrum and Limelight. Spectrum teleported away while Limelight flew upward to avoid them. But the Omnidroid had an open claw waiting. It brought it down, driving Limelight into the ground.

It raised her up, holding her between in its claw. As she struggled to break free it brought another arm up. Its claw was spread open and it began to spin like a razor blade. It made to move it toward her, intent on killing her, only for its arm to be halted. It turned its head to find Spectrum's scarf wrapped around its leg, and the sidekick pulling on it, holding it back to give her mentor time to escape.

Limelight growled, flexing in effort before breaking free of the Omnidroid's grip. She was about to fly at it and attack, only for it to tug on its bound arm and send Spectrum swinging into her mentor. They collided in midair and went hurtling back through before catching themselves.

The Omnidroid began to attack, long segmented arms swinging wildly as it attempted to smack them out of the air. Spectrum teleported while Limelight twirled and spun, dancing just out of reach as it chased them.

Limelight dropped down and braced herself as a clawed hand came at her. She grabbed two of the claws and kept them back. The Omnidroid pressed forward, driving her away as her feet dragged through the pavement.

Suddenly the Omnidroid was struck with a fireball in its face. It looked up to see Spectrum hurling fire at it. Limelight used its distraction to wrestle the arm away. She grabbed the claw, wrapping her arms around it to keep it closed as she pressed a foot against its leg and pulled. With a metallic whine she slowly but surely ripped the claw away from the leg. She threw it down and smiled as the Omnidroid backed away to assess the damage.

Spectrum rejoined her mentor and smiled along side her. Two of its claws were gone. If they eliminated the other three it'd be almost impossible for it to fight back.

Syndrome growled, fully aware that his Omnidroid was losing. Limelight was strong, seemingly stronger than Mr. Incredible. And with Spectrum backing her up the chances of victory were falling.

He had to take her out of the fight. He looked around before his eyes fell on one of the main cables. He pressed a button on his gauntlet and pointed a finger at it. A red laser shot out, hitting the cable and cutting through it.

The heroines took note, feeling the bridge tremble as the cable weakened. Limelight gasped and flew toward the cable as he cut it in two. She threw her arms out, grabbing the two fistfuls of the many wires spanning the interior of the main cable and pulled.

She kept the bridge stable and Syndrome smiled, knowing she'd do that. He aimed his hand at her again, intent on blasting her while she was helpless, only for something to collide with his gauntlet. He let out a startled cry and rubbed at his wrist as he watched Hiro's shield fly back to his outstretched hand.

Meanwhile, Baymax began flying around the Omnidroid, keeping it distracted while Spectrum flew toward her mentor.

"Limelight!" she cried in worry. "What do I do? How can I help?" she asked frantically.

Limelight grunted, sweat forming on her brow as she held the massive weight supported by the cables. "Stop Syndrome," she told her.

"But-but-but I-" she stammered, not sure if she could stop him and the Omnidroid without her help.

"You can do it," Limelight told her, Spectrum paused and stared into her eyes. Limelight gave her a smile. "I _trust_ you," she said with a nod. Spectrum smiled and nodded in understanding. She turned in midair to face the Omnidroid before narrowing her eyes and flying toward it.

Meanwhile, Syndrome had directed his attention to Hiro.

"I thought you were smart, kid," he shouted as he dropped a hand, throwing a car down at the ground to try and crush Hiro. Hiro ran and rolled out of the way. "I thought we were the same!" he shouted as he dropped another car down.

Hiro leapt clear before hiding behind an abandoned car.

Syndrome landed and began to approach. "I still like you kid, but even my patience has limits! Last chance, join me!" he shouted. Hiro peeked out from behind a car, remaining silent as he began trying to formulate a strategy.

"Is it the girl?" Syndrome shouted aloud. "Do you have _feelings_ for her?" he asked mockingly. "She's a super kid. And you're just a normal guy. Do the math, no way that's happening! It's a .000001 % chance!" he shouted.

He pointed at the car, lifting it up with his Zero Point energy field, only to find that Hiro wasn't behind it. His eyes widened in surprise. He glanced around and spotted Hiro dashing behind cars for cover. Syndrome growled as he brought the car down in front of his path. Hiro froze before turning to Syndrome.

Syndrome faced him, hands open and hanging at his sides, fingers twitching in anticipation. Hiro took a breath, adjusting the shield on his arm. Syndrome suddenly raised a hand and pointed at him as Hiro threw his shield at him like a frisbee.

Syndrome jerked his head out of the way as the shield sailed by his head. He laughed triumphantly as he trapped Hiro with his Zero Point energy. He cackled as the teen was frozen in place, helpless.

"Should've used your head kid. Should've joined me when you had the chance," he told him. He tsked and shrugged. "Now it's-" Suddenly he was struck in the back of the head. The shield had recoiled off a car behind him and bounced back. He dropped his arm, releasing Hiro who dashed forward as the shield spun through the air, coming down as Syndrome attempted to clear his vision.

Hiro leapt up and grabbed the shield out of the air, poising it above his head before bring it down. As Syndrome looked up Hiro bashed it across his face as hard as he could. There was a loud clang and Syndrome was spun by the force of Hiro's blow.

Hiro watched as Hiro turned to face him, but his steps were shaky. He wobbled and teetered from side to side, he raised a shaky hand up to point at Hiro, but then collapsed face first to the ground.

Hiro stared at his unconscious form, nudging him with his foot to make sure he was truly out. When the villain didn't stir he bent down and slipped off his left gauntlet. He held it up in examination, remembering it had been this one Syndrome used to control the robots. It had a series of buttons on it, but to Hiro's disappointment it was damaged, with a long thin crack running down the side of it.

He remembered when he'd thrown the shield at it to prevent him from attacking Limelight, he slapped his forehead and suppressed the urge to curse. He looked up to see Spectrum and Baymax fighting the Omnidroid, doing the best they could to stop it.

But it was too big. It's armor too thick, with Spectrum and Baymax's attacks hardly doing anything.

Knowing he had to help he began running toward the battle, all while trying to think of a plan. He raised his gauntlet up and a holographic display of the v.X9's schematics appeared. He tried to locate an exploitable weak point, but found none. Syndrome may have been insane, but he built a damn fine machine.

He pursed his lips, comparing this version to the 07 version. The two were almost exactly the same in design. The v.X9 was simply bigger, with more sophisticated software and slightly better scanners. But the overall design, inside and out were the same.

A lightbulb went off in his head.

He looked up, watching as Spectrum dodged the Omnidroid claws before shooting electricity at it in an attempt to slow it down. He shouted for her, "Spectrum!"

She took her eyes off the Omnidroid to glance down at him, only to be entrapped by a claw. She yelped before teleporting free of its grip. "What?!" she shouted while keeping her eyes on it.

"This Omnidroid is almost exactly like the one we fought last night!" he told her.

"So what! How does that help?" she shouted in response while dodging a claw.

"It mean it's almost exactly the same, outside, and _inside_ ," he revealed. "Can you picture it in your head?"

Spectrum blinked, not sure what he was getting at. So what if its inside looked the same as the other one? How was that supposed to help them? Not like they could do anything, unless they could find-

Her eyes widened in realization and she smiled. "Oh," she muttered. She stopped in midair, and the Omnidroid stared at her, claws preparing to snatch at her. She closed her eyes, imagining the inside of the previous Omnidroid and holding the image in her mind.

The Omnidroid's claw shot out at her, intent to snatch and crush her in its grip. But a second before it could close around her she was gone. The Omnidroid's claw closed on empty air and it looked around for Spectrum. It found her nowhere, eventually directing it attention to Baymax and Hiro.

Baymax had landed beside the teen as they faced down the robot. He stared up at it, wondering if their plan had worked. The Omnidroid took a step toward them. Then another before raising a leg up to attack.

But then it froze. Hiro arched a brow as the Omnidroid's head began to spin around in a mad circle. It began to teeter and totter back and forth, arms slithering through the air wildly.

Hiro could hear the faint sound coming from within and he smiled.

The optical scanner on the Omnidroid dimmed before it went still. It's legs gave out and it fell to the ground inert. Then a moment later its head was blown off. Fire shot out of the hole where the head had once been, blowing out bits of the hardware within.

Then it stopped. Hiro lowered his shield and waited before sure enough Spectrum flew out.

She gave a whoop of victory before looking to Hiro. He smiled up at her as she flew down toward him. But as she was making her descent she was trapped in a Zero Point energy field. Hiro whirled around, following the beam to its source to find Syndrome on his feet.

His body as trembling with rage and he clenched his free fist. "My Omnidroid...beaten...by some kids!" he shouted in outrage.

Spectrum suddenly vanished from within the energy field and reappeared by Hiro's side. "We're not kids! We're superheroes!" she shouted at him. Hiro gave a nod in agreement.

Syndrome only shouted aloud in ire as he took to the air and began raising a hand. Hiro raised up the shield, hitting the switch that turned it to its crossbow form. He lifted it up and took aim, and as he did Spectrum placed a hand over his.

He looked to her for a second to find her eyes narrowed and on Syndrome. Then Syndrome fired. Hiro fired as well. And the shield, which from the beginning of the conflict had been taking blows and amassing kinetic energy, fired off a huge purplish blue blast. It collided with Syndrome Zero Point energy beam, overpowering and pushing it back toward him.

Syndrome eyes widened and he was blinded by the incoming blast.

Hiro and Spectrum heard him give a shout before he was seemingly struck. They had to turn away from the light, but when they could see once again they found no sign of Syndrome.

"Baymax, find Syndrome," Hiro commanded.

Baymax activated his scanners and turned his head to and fro. "My scanners are still damaged. But I can find no trace of the subject in the immediate area," he revealed.

Hiro lowered his shield, thankful he hadn't broken his arm with that last blast. Spectrum's telekinetic abilities had braced his arm when she'd touched him, allowing him to withstand the recoil.

"Worry about Syndrome later!" came a shout. They looked to find Limelight still holding onto either ends of the severed cable. "Give me a hand! I'm starting to get a cramp!"

* * *

A few minutes later police and authorities were on the scene. The bridge was stable for the moment, with the main cable melted back together with Spectrum's pyrokinetic ability. Though Limelight made sure to tell the police that the city should look into getting it properly fixed.

After speaking with a few of the authorities around, she glanced over to see Hiro and Spectrum looking rather...down. She arched a brow before walking over.

"What's wrong you two? You just beat a supervillain. You should be celebrating," she told them.

The teens had their heads bowed. "But he got away," Spectrum reminded her.

Limelight sighed, "Yes," she conceded. "That happens sometimes guys. You can't get them all," she said to reassure them. "Besides, the most important thing is that the people are safe and nobody died," she told them.

The teens looked up at her and she gave them a smile. "You did good work today," she said with a nod.

The teens blinked before they both managed to smile. They looked to each other before high fiving in victory and laughing in pride.

"Now that everything been settled, there's one more thing I'd like to know," Limelight suddenly chimed in. The teens looked to her to find her looking at Hiro, head cocked to the side inquisitively.

"Who are you?" she finally asked.

Hiro froze up, unprepared for the question. He didn't particularly want to reveal his identity to her, but he also didn't feel right blatantly lying to her either. He fumbled for an answer, only to be saved by Spectrum.

"Prodigy!" she said quickly. Both Hiro and Limelight looked to her. "His codename is Prodigy. He can't tell you his real name because it's supposed to be a secret...right Limelight?" As a fellow hero she knew Limelight would understand and not push the issue.

"Prodigy huh?" Limelight said curiously. "Well alright then. Thank you for your help, Prodigy."

"No problem," Hiro said with a nod. "Well. Guess I'll be going now," he said as he made his way toward Baymax. He climbed onto his back before looking back at Limelight, then Spectrum. "There's a hostage up on one of the towers. Might want to get him down now," he revealed.

Limelight flinched before looking up and taking to the air to finally rescue Dave. This left Hiro and Spectrum alone.

"Thanks for the save," Hiro told her.

"No problem," she said with a smile and a nod.

"So I guess that's it then," Hiro said awkwardly.

"What is?" Spectrum asked.

"We took down the bad guy. City saved. Our little team up is over," he explained, slightly melancholy. With their mission completed, he wasn't sure if he had an excuse to see her anymore.

"Oh...yeah. I guess so," she said with a shrug.

"Alright then," Hiro said as Baymax's wings sprang out.

"Are you going to be in the city for much longer Hiro?" she asked quickly.

"Yeah. A few more weeks," he answered.

"Ok," was all she said.

Baymax's thrusters activated, lifting him into the air. Hiro was about to direct him to fly back to the hotel, only for Spectrum to shout up at him.

"Hiro!" she called. He glanced down at her. She blushed lightly as she brushed some hair behind an ear. "Let's hang out while you're here."

Hiro immediately grinned, ecstatic she still wanted to see him. "Alright. I'll uhh...call you I guess?" he offered.

"Yeah. Sure...that'd be cool," she answered back as casually as she could.

With one last smile Hiro and Baymax flew off, heading toward the city. Spectrum smiled after them, face still a little flushed.

"Ooooohhhhh," came a voice behind her that made her nearly jump in fright. She glanced back and then up to find Limelight hovering above her. She had a grin on her face. "I just saw something interesting," she cooed.

"What? What are you talking about?" Spectrum asked in embarrassment.

"Nothing," Limelight teased as she began to gain altitude.

"No seriously, what are you talking about!?" Spectrum shouted as she rose up off the ground.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing! Tell me!"

Limelight laughed as she began flying toward the city with Spectrum in pursuit. The teen demanding to know why her mentor was laughing.

"Limelight! Stop laughing! Tell me!"

* * *

The next day Hiro was in Dave's office. He had to admire the man for coming into work after his ordeal yesterday. But he knew the reason he was sitting in the office wasn't a good one.

"Now then, Hiro. As I was saying yesterday, we need a person willing to stick it out, be a team player, be a gear that turns with the moving internal mechanisms of the company," he began.

Hiro felt his spirits sink. He was going to be dropped from the program. Which meant he'd be sent back home. Which also meant he wouldn't be able to hang out with Riley anymore.

"And if that isn't you, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to-" before he could finish his statement his phone began to ring. "One second Hiro," he said. Hiro let out a breath in annoyance, just wanting to get this over with.

"Hello?" Dave said as he picked up the phone. He suddenly straightened up, eyes wide and alert. "Mr. Haddock! Sir. What can I do for you today?" he asked dutifully. Hiro arched a brow curiously.

"What? Well no," Dave said as his eyes flicked down toward Hiro. He suddenly turned in his chair. "But he's only 15 sir," Dave whispered. Hiro's curiosity grew as he figured they were talking about him.

"Yes I know he goes to San Fransokyo Tech. Yes, I'm aware of the age at which he finished high school. But-No!" Dave said as he suddenly leapt up. "I'll get right on it sir," he said. He suddenly looked to the phone before hanging it up.

He turned around, suddenly smiling at Hiro as if he weren't about to fire him.

"You know Hiro. You're right. I've been turning it over in my head, and I hear you. Go grab your lab coat H-man and report for duty immediately," he told him.

Hiro blanched, eyes widening in shock. "What? Really?"

"Of course. What we need at this company is a person willing to go against the grain every now and then. Speak up with new ideas. And I can think of no one better than you Hiro," he said.

"Alright!" Hiro said as he leapt out of his seat. "Thanks Dave, good talk!" he said as he ran out of the room. Hiro ran straight to the lab, throwing the doors open and being blinded by the beauty of it all.

He smiled as he breathed in the smell of metal and chemicals and felt the hum of machinery that was like music to his ears.

"Finally."

* * *

Meanwhile in Berk, Hiccup hung up his desk phone and leaned back in his seat. His business partner and girlfriend sat on his desk, brow arched curiously.

"What?" Hiccup asked as he noted her stare.

"Nothing. Just you threatened to fire somebody. You rarely do that," she said.

"Dave wasn't upholding the rules and values of our internship program," he said with a shrug.

Merida hummed. "So who is this kid you were so interested in vouching for?"

Hiccup pressed a button on his desk. A file of a young teen appeared on his computer screen. "His name is Hiro Hamada. He graduated high school at the age of 13 and at 14 he got accepted into San Fransokyo Tech, one of the most illustrious technological institutes in the world. This kid's a genius," he said.

"Impressive," Merida said in interest.

"I also knew his brother when I did a semester in Japan," Hiccup added casually. "So a bit of a personal favor as well," he said with a shrug.

"Ah," Merida said. Then her eyes narrowed. "And what about the thefts of our warehouses?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, tone serious. "Limelight told me it was a guy named Syndrome. He was the owner of a weapons company I bought out a few years back."

"Anything dangerous?"

"Just some robots. Omnidroids. I've alerted the other facilities around the world to dismantle the ones they have," he revealed.

"Good. What about that strange person who was helping Riley in San Francisco?" Merida asked.

Hiccup hit another button, pulling up an image of a stranger dressed in armor alongside a giant armored robot.

"Apparently he goes by Prodigy," he said.

"Reminds me a of you," Merda commented. Hiccup chuckled. "What's that shield thing he has?"

"Old invention of mine. A multipurpose combat shield. I thought it would be the future of standard issue equipment on the battlefield. Its got a grappling line to scale obstacles. Lightweight, can fire bolas to incapacitate enemies in a nonlethal manner. And its surface generates a small energy shield that absorbs the kinetic energy of bullets, missiles, and other weapon while converting it to a powerful energy blast," he explained.

"Cool."

"Never could fix the recoil though. Nearly blew my arm off testing it. I shelved it and ended up forgetting about it," he said casually.

"So what do we do about Syndrome? Seems like he might have a grudge against you for taking all his stuff."

"We'll just add him to the list of people already trying to kill me," he said casually. Merida chuckled at his nonchalant attitude.

"I wonder who this kid is?" Merida said curiously as she stared at the picture of Prodigy.

Hiccup remained silent, eyes flicking back and forth between the file of Hiro and images Prodigy. "Yeah...I wonder."

* * *

A few days later Hiro came home after a long day of satisfying work. Working in the labs was everything he'd hoped it would be. Haddock Industries was awesome. He sighed as he flopped down on the bed and folded his arms behind his head.

He had about three weeks left in his internship program. And he intended to use them.

After saving the city he upheld his word and returned everything he'd borrowed from Haddock Industries and DunBroch Corp. Even the shield, as much as it pained him to let that particular item go. He wanted so very badly to keep it, take it apart and learn how it worked, maybe even fix the recoil problem. But he'd made a promise, and he intended to keep it.

He hadn't seen or spoken to Riley in the last few days. He wasn't sure what to say now that they'd saved the city.

He also could fully admit to himself that he liked her. In a romantic way. She was pretty and nice. Not to mention awesome and totally kickbutt. But he wasn't sure if she felt the same. Not to mention that even if they did start something he lived halfway around the world. Once he left...what then?

He also couldn't help but think of what Syndrome had said to him. He tried not to let the words of an obvious villain and megalomaniac get to him. But they did for some reason. Syndrome said that he and Riley could never happen, because she had superpowers and he didn't.

That the chances of that happening were a .000001% chance.

Suddenly his phone went off in his pocket. He fished it out before looking at it to find Riley was calling him. He sat up, eyes wide and heart beginning to race. It kept ringing and his mind was suddenly blank.

He stared at it as it rang and rang, turning over Syndrome's words in his head.

He hit the answer icon. He slowly brought it up to his ear.

Maybe the odds were slim. Maybe he had only a .000001% chance with her.

But it was still a chance.

Feeling hopeful and optimistic, and knowing that if he could handle a supervillain, four giant robots, and a superpowered girl...he could do this too.

"Hey Riley, what's up?"

* * *

 **new chap. End**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bonus chapter**

A week had passed since the Syndrome incident. Rapunzel was done with her oversea modeling shoot and had returned to the states, allowing her to continue her superhero duties with Riley. The two of them had come to a compromise, with her agreeing to lighten up on her apprentice and Riley learning to be a little more understanding and less stubborn, realizing that there were some things she just wasn't ready to handle alone.

At the moment the pair were atop a building, enjoying the beautiful sunny day and watching for any signs of trouble from the streets below. Limelight was standing at the edge of a rooftop in silence as she glanced over at her apprentice.

She turned her head and arched a brow, finding her protege completely engrossed in her communicator.

Spectrum was sitting at the edge of the roof, legs dangling off the side as she typed away on her communicator, a bright smile alighting her face.

This had been happening a lot lately her mentor noted. She was constantly texting someone, and whoever it was always made her light up. Limelight slowly shuffled over to the side before bending to see if she could read the messages.

Spectrum stopped typing and suddenly glanced up and at her mentor with a frown. "Limelight, stop trying to read my texts!" she cried in annoyance.

"Sorry," Limelight said as she took a step back. Satisfied, Spectrum turned her attention back to her communicator. "So who are you texting anyway?" she asked casually.

"My friend Hiro," she answered.

"What about?"

"Seeing if he wants to go to the movies this weekend," she answered.

Limelight hummed curiously. She'd been noticing her change in demeanor and tone of voice every time she mentioned this…'Hiro' person, over the last few days. Whoever this 'Hiro' person was, Riley seemed quite fond of him. She couldn't help but wonder...

"Is it like...a date?" she asked curiously.

Spectrum stiffened up and shifted around to look at her mentor in embarrassment. "What?! No! What?! No! We're just going with some friends of mine! It's not a date! Gosh! Shut up! You're being weird!" she babbled before shifting away to avoid Limelight's gaze.

Limelight arched a brow at that strange reaction before smiling knowingly.

Suddenly both their communicators went off, alerting them to a robbery. They took to the air and toward the adress, hearing an alarm blaring as they drew nearer. They got there just in time to see the perpetrator rushing out of a jewelry store, fleeing the scene.

"Oh not this guy again," Spectrum said in irritation.

"Haha! You squares just got jacked by the Jive Turkey!" the ridiculously dressed villain shouted as he ran down the street, pushing by pedestrians as he fled.

Both heroines watched with blank faces before Limelight spoke up.

"You want to take this?" Limelight asked her apprentice.

Spectrum perked up and looked to her. "Really? You sure?"

"Why not?" Limelight said with a shrug. "Like I said, I'll try to loosen the reigns a bit from now on. So go ahead, I'll keep the people back," she told her with a smile.

Spectrum's gave her a wide and grateful smile as she rocketed down and after the villain.

"Hey chicken man!" she shouted.

He skidded to a stop before whirling around in outrage. "It's Jive-" he paused and released a breath as Spectrum's scarf wrapped around his body and squeezed, constricting him like a snake. "Turkey," he finished weakly.

Spectrum smiled before she reeled her scarf in. Jive Turkey was lifted off the ground and went flying toward the young superhero. As he was coming she lifted a hand and clenched it into a fist in preparation.

As he came within striking distance she couldn't help but think about her life as a superhero apprentice.

It was awesome!

* * *

The next day Bill Andersen came home early from work. He opened the door to his home and entered before shutting it. He stretched his arms over his head and popped his back, glad to be back home. He took a step, preparing to go toward the stairs, only to catch a glance of something out of the corner of his eye.

He turned his head, and his eyes fell on someone who wasn't a member of his family sitting at his kitchen table, eating a sandwich. A young boy he didn't know stared back at him, half eaten sandwich in hand and mouth full.

They stared at each other in silence before Bill shouted for his wife. "Honey! Why is there a boy in my house eating a sandwich!?"

"That's Riley's friend, Hiro!" Jill shouted back from somewhere upstairs.

Bill arched a brow at his strange name. And his fatherly instincts kicking in he forgoed going upstairs in favor of stepping into the kitchen and taking a seat across from the young teen.

"So...Hiro, was it?" Bill asked.

Hiro quickly swallowed his food so he could answer. "Yes sir Mr. Andersen. Hiro Hamada," Hiro answered with a nod.

Bill clasped his hands together and sat up straight. Hiro couldn't help but suddenly feel nervous. As if he were sitting in an interrogation room all of a sudden.

"So Hiro, why are you here?" Bill asked evenly, trying to ascertain his motives.

"Oh. Well I was going to go see a movie with Riley and some of her friends," he explained.

Red flags went off in Bill's head at the thought of a boy he wasn't familiar with going anywhere with his daughter. Then there was the fact that he had been allowed inside his home, and been prepared food while he waited. These were all indicators that this boy and Riley were close.

Too close.

"So Hiro, do you go to Riley's school?" Bill asked next.

And then Hiro spoke the dreaded words. Words Bill shouldn't have had to hear for another few years, when Riley was nearing the end of her high school years or just starting off at college. Words no father wants to hear out of a young man who may have an interest in his daughter speak.

"No, I'm in college actually," Hiro said.

The red flags in Bill's mind turned to a blaring alarm. The situation went up to Defcon three as he stared down this college boy about to go on an outing with his daughter.

But before he could do or say anything Riley came down the stairs. "Hey Hiro, ready to go?" she called.

Hiro quickly stood up and made his way to her. "Yes," he said quickly.

"Alright. Bye dad. Bye mom!" she called out as they went out the door. Bill stood up and went to the door to watch them walk down the street side by side in the direction of a friend's house.

Jill came down to stand next to him. "I like that Hiro. He's a good influence on Riley. Really polite and smart too," she said with a smile.

Bill was silent, staring at the back of the boy's head as if he were trying to shoot laser beams through it. "Honey, what do you think about moving?"

* * *

 **END**

* * *

sorry everybody. Not time for Hiro and Hiccup to meet just yet.


End file.
